Eagles prefers not to fly

Chris Eagles insists he wants to remain a Manchester United player, despite confirming he’s had talks with other clubs about a possible Old Trafford exit.

Eagles, now 22, joined the Reds eight years ago and has recently been linked with a move to Championship side Burnley.

The attacking midfielder has played 17 times for the first team since making his debut in 2003 and is currently in South Africa as part of the Reds’ pre-season tour.

But he knows opportunities at United are limited and admits he could be lured away by an offer of regular first-team football.

“I’d love to stay at Old Trafford and make my career as a United player,” Eagles told MUTV in Cape Town, “but I need to think about playing regularly.

“There have been talks with Premier League and Championship clubs, but nothing’s been decided.”

Eagles said he’ll seek advice from United manager Sir Alex Ferguson at some point on the tour in an effort to evaluate his future.

“It’s difficult because I want to play every week, whether I leave United or stay at United. If I think I’m going to get a chance here then I’d love to stay. If not, maybe I have to look somewhere else.

“I’ll speak to the gaffer over the next week or so and see what happens. There are all sorts of options available.”