Jadon Sancho should remain with Borussia Dortmund for one more year, according to Dimitar Berbatov, who does not think now is the right time for him to go to Manchester United.
Sancho still has two years left to run on his current contract at Westfalenstadion, but it has been reported that a whole host of top clubs will be lining up to bid for his services when the transfer market reopens.
The 20-year-old was enjoying another stellar season in Germany before the coronavirus stopped play in March, having contributed 17 goals and 19 assists to Dortmund's cause across all competitions.
The Premier League has been mooted as the most likely landing spot for Sancho, who rose through the youth ranks at Manchester City before moving to Germany in 2017.
United are among those being heavily linked with the England international, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer continues a squad rebuild at Old Trafford centred around targeting young, homegrown talent.
Despite his past links with the Manchester outfit, Berbatov has advised Sancho to continue his development at Dortmund, while suggesting he might struggle to fit into Solskjaer's current starting XI.
"Sancho moved to Germany at a very young age and it looks to be paying off massively in the way that he is developing," the ex-United striker told Betfair.
"That was maybe the best decision he has made so far, to go there and play because I think he, his agent and family knew he was good enough to play, so when someone isn't giving you a chance at one place of course you go and find somewhere to play and it was a great decision on his part, he is developing and now big teams are coming after him.
"I don't know if now is the right time for him to go to Manchester United, I have mentioned it before, I have my doubts here because at United there's Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Daniel James.
"It's good to have competition for the team but I would imagine if he moves to a new place he would want to play every game, but rotation is a common thing now in football.
"From that point of view, you can't guarantee a player will play, but I think we need to go with that assumption, big money and he would like to play.
"For me, he is going to choose the team that he knows he is going to play. Not to move and do nothing because that is going to stop his development.
"That's why I think it may be better for him to stay at Dortmund for one more year, why not?"
Berbatov added on his own experience in the Bundesliga helped him to learn how important playing week in, week out can be for morale: "When I was a young player in Germany, at the same age as Sancho, my mind was only on me developing.
"I wasn't thinking about transfers, I was happy at [Bayer] Leverkusen, I was playing every game and if you really love football that is what you want to do.
"Sancho has been there since 2017 and it's crucial to know when is the right time to stay or go because this can sometimes can make or break a career."