MANCHESTER United are among the clubs Paul Cox believes were interested in Barrow winger Jordan Williams.

Williams has enjoyed a stellar rise in non-league circles since moving to Holker Street from Northwich Victoria in the final days of 2015.

He has been an almost ever-present in the AFC side, with his stunning 20-yard strike against Tranmere on Tuesday his ninth goal of the season and a symbol of a display which saw him back to near his best.

Williams was the subject of much transfer conjecture both in the summer and before and during the January transfer window – with Barrow turning down several offers for his services, one said to be of six-figures, as it did not match their valuations.

Now Cox has revealed that Manchester United were among the clubs tracking the 24-year-old based on his displays for the Bluebirds.

Hailing the winger's display in the 2-1 win over Tranmere, he said: “I think special mention has to go to Jordan. He came to this football club and, for this level of football, he became a superstar overnight.

“Sometimes expectation can be the ruin of anybody. He came in and every he did and everything he touched early on was sublime. People like Manchester United were looking at him.

“The lad hasn't become a bad player overnight. Sometimes you just need to rediscover yourself. I never lost faith in him, never lost belief in him.

“When he scored the goal on Tuesday, he was like a man possessed. He drove on, and drove on again – that's the Jordan that we know every day in training. Every day he comes in and works hard, and it was nice to have him back to what he sees as his standards.”

Cox added more praise for the start of Williams' resurgence, and said: “Jordan came alive. When things aren’t going well for you in football, and not everything is falling for you, sometimes you have to grind it out.

“What Jordan does, is he works really hard in training. He’s a winner.

“I’m really chuffed for the lad, because even though some of his performances haven’t been to the level he has set himself this season – and that’s what it is – he’s not a bad player, it’s just that in every game for a large period of time he was our superstar. It’s funny how the impression of him, the comment about him are that all of a sudden he is a bad player. He’s not a bad player, he’s just going through a period where he needed to find himself.

“After the goal, he became the old Jordan – picking the ball up, driving at people and making things happen.”