Manchester United have accepted an offer from Stoke City for defender Ryan Shawcross.

Shawcross has been a revelation on loan at the Britannia Stadium and a number of Premier League managers - including Sunderland's Roy Keane - are believed to have looked at the defender.

However the Potters have already moved to extend the 20-year-old's loan until the end of the season and Coates has now revealed a permanent move should be tied up this month.

Shawcross has missed just one game for Stoke this season, scoring seven goals along the way to help Tony Pulis' men to fourth in the Championship.

And his performances have alerted England Under-21 chief Stuart Pearce, who is thought to have watched the centre-half on more than one occasion.

Shawcross, who is out of contract at Old Trafford in the summer, is likely to cost the Potters in excess of £1.2million.