Great expectations! Fergie puts his faith in youth with £4m move for Crewe's Powell



Sir Alex Ferguson has sealed a £4million deal for England Under-18 international Nick Powell as he turns to young talent to secure Manchester United's future.



The manager struck a deal with League Two Crewe for the forward, who has scored 15 goals this season and will feature in next week's League Two play-off at Wembley.

Future star: Crewe Alexandra's Nick Powell has a big future

Tipped as the best player to emerge from Dario Gradi's famous Crewe academy, which has uncovered the likes of Dean Ashton, David Platt and Danny Murphy, Powell is poised to earn full recognition before the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Ferguson, who personally checked out the youngster at Gresty Road, has also been linked with £7m-rated Borussia Dortmund midfielder Shinji Kagawa and Moussa Dembele of Fulham as he prepares for life after Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs.



