Man United target Defour aware of interest

Switch?: Standard Liège midfielder Steven Defour, seen here, is keen to take the next step in his career.

(GSM) - Standard Liège midfielder Steven Defour has revealed he could be ready to take the next step in his career amid interest from Manchester United.

The 22-year-old, who one of the highly-rated young talents in his homeland, is rumoured to be a Red Devils' target after Sir Alex Ferguson sent the player a letter when he suffered a broken foot late last year.

Despite, recovering from the injury, reports are rife with a switch to Premier League.

Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson has had the player scouted in recent weeks, with the Belgium international suggesting he could now be ready to move on.

"I know that Manchester United are monitoring me, but there hasn't been any contact," Defour told Belgian TV programme Extra Time. "I've been sidelined for quite a while due to the injury, but I'm playing at a high level again.

"If everything goes well and I continue playing as I am, there is a better chance of me leaving than there was at the start of the season.

"I've had the opportunity to leave Standard on a couple of occasions, but I loved the club too much to leave. However, I'm 22 years old now and I also have to think about myself. There comes a time when you just have to make the next step in your career, regardless of your feeling for the club."

On his injury, he added: "The pain is much less severe than it was at the beginning of the season. The pain will eventually disappear altogether, but I have to do my exercises every day and work hard."