Football League World's West Brom fan pundit Justin Alvino has reacted to the speculation linking Matheus Pereira with a move to Manchester United.

The Mirror have recently claimed that the Red Devils are keeping tabs on the 23-year-old, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer continues to reshape his squad in the January transfer window.

Pereira has been a revelation since signing for West Brom on loan from Sporting Lisbon in the summer, playing an influential role in the Baggies' rise up the Sky Bet Championship table.

The playmaker has scored three goals and registered six assists for Albion so far this season, establishing himself as one of the creative players in the division.

Alvino has reacted to the speculation, and has insisted that he cannot see Pereira leaving the Hawthorns for Old Trafford.

"I think that there is a good chance that Man United are keeping tabs on Periera, but I think that's just a formality. Premier League clubs often keep tabs on clubs in lower divisions to see if they can find cheap talent."

West Brom do have the option to sign Pereira permanently for a fee of £8.25m, and it's likely that the Baggies will activate that option if they win promotion to the top-flight this term.

It is believed that Pereira has already agreed personal terms over a permanent move to Albion, with Slaven Bilic recently labelling the midfielder as a "steal" for the Baggies.

Alvino spoke about the option in Pereira's contract, saying: "I am 100% confident that if West Brom want to keep Periera, they will do so. We already have the option to sign him if we make the Premier League and/or he makes a set amount of appearances.

"He is loving life with us right now, and with a team that took a chance on him, I doubt he'd want to leave in the first place."

Of course, if he did make the move to Old Trafford, then the step-up would be massive - fighting for promotion from the Championship one minute, to fighting for a place in the Champions League the next.

Speaking about whether Pereira would be able to make the leap, Alvino said: "Honestly, I think Periera would have his work cut out for him in a large environment such as United, and I think the best option for him would be to get his feet established at West Brom and in the Championship, where I think he is still getting adjusted despite the numbers he has already put up."