Wigan Athletic midfielder Nick Powell has the Premier League on red alert, with Brighton and Hove Albion looking to make a move for the former Manchester United star.

23-year old Powell is a product of the Crewe Alexandra youth system and he's currently in terrific form in League One, scoring 12 goals from 33 appearances. According to the printed Sun on Sunday, that has prompted recently-promoted Brighton to prepare a move.

Powell hit the headlines as a teenager when Manchester United paid £4m for his services from Crewe in 2012. Sir Alex Ferguson said at the time; "He is an exceptional talent and has been schooled well at Crewe. I'm delighted he has chosen to come to United. He has a lot to offer and we are all looking forward to working with him."

His United move didn't work out well, despite scoring against Wigan on his debut as a late sub. He made just six appearances before being loaned out to Wigan by by new manager David Moyes. He spent futher short spells at Hull and Leceister before joining Wigan permanently on a free transfer in July 2016, despite interest from Wolves.

An injury in January during the FA Cup third round tie with Nottingham Forest seemed to end his season and without their influential player Wigan won just four in 16 matches. He returned ahead of schedule to score five in three games, including a hat trick to beat Rotherham 3-2. He couldn't prevent Wigan dropping into League One, but his form this season has improved again.

He's been instrumental in the Latics promotion push, opening the season with three in two games and featuring in their historic FA Cup win against Manchester City. Clearly, this form hasn't gone unnoticed with the latest interest from Brighton and further performances will bring more scouts to the DW Stadium.

The Verdict

Nick Powell is proving that English talent is often developed best by playing regular first-team games in the lower divisions. Over the past two seasons he has had time to work on his game and has found a new level of maturity. There's a reason Sir Alex Ferguson paid £4m for his services and although subsequent managers haven't found out why, Paul Cook has. Come May, expect far more Premier League sides to be in the hunt for the exciting young player.