Manchester United defender Bjorn Hardley has enjoyed a first team promotion this week.

The Manchester Evening News says Hardley has been training with Cristiano Ronaldo and the Manchester United first team ahead of the Premier League showdown with Arsenal.

The 18-year-old has yet to make a senior appearance for the Old Trafford giants, but is a regular member of the Premier League 2 side and has appeared four times in the UEFA Youth League this season.

Hardley scored his first goal for the Under-23s against Liverpool last month.

Born in the Netherlands, the highly-rated defender has trained alongside Ronaldo at company several times already as he continues his development. He was originally signed from NAC Breda, a partner of Manchester City.

And that appears to be the case this week during the build-up to meeting Arsenal on Thursday night.