Nigel Quashie has urged Nathan Ferguson to sign a new contract at West Bromwich Albion, as speculation surrounding the 19-year-old's future at the club continues.

Ferguson has risen through the ranks at West Brom and has been able to establish himself as one of the brightest young players in the Championship this season, scoring one goal in 20 league appearances for the Baggies.

The teenager is out-of-contract at Albion at the end of the season, though and a number of top Premier League clubs including Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly interested in signing him.

West Brom are keen to get Ferguson to commit his future to the club and have offered him a new five-year contract, but the highly-rated full-back is yet to sign it, fuelling speculation that he could leave The Hawthorns this month.

In an interview with Birmingham Live football writer Andi Purewal, former West Brom midfielder Quashie has urged Ferguson to remain with the Baggies and has explained why he believes it would benefit the youngster's career.

Quashie said: "If it was me and I was looking after him, the first thing I'd be saying to him is, you're at a great club, you're playing week in week out, the manager believes in you, you've got a great future in the game, go and play games."

"Go and play games, enjoy your football, don't worry about what money is being touted about.

"He could go to another club and might not play, but he's playing at a club where they give youth a chance and he's well respected.

"He's been given a great opportunity to really stamp his mark on his career and I think if he does that at West Brom, later on down the line there'd be nothing that West Brom could do to stop him leaving."

QUIZ: Can you name every West Brom player’s shirt number?

The Verdict 

I couldn't agree more with Quashie here. Ferguson is a very talented footballer and he could have a very big future ahead of him in the game. However, he needs to make sure he gets this decision right and I think he should remain at West Brom.

If he were to move to one of the top Premier League clubs, there's no guarantee that he'd be starting games. He's more likely to end up playing for their Under-23s or could even be sent out on loan, which would seriously harm his development.

If he remains at West Brom, he's going to experience regular first-team football in the Championship which will allow him to improve massively as a player. There's a good chance he'll be playing Premier League football next season too.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.