Man Utd sign Manchester City defender Frederic Veseli

Sir Alex Ferguson (left) will initially put Veseli with the United reserves

Manchester United have signed 19-year-old Swiss centre-back Frederic Veseli from local rivals Manchester City.

Veseli joined City from Lausanne Sport in 2008 and captained his country to victory at the 2009 Under-17 World Cup.

"I am very happy and it is an honour to sign for Manchester United," said Veseli, who featured on City's pre-season tour to the USA last summer.

"I can't wait to get started. I am looking forward to showing everybody what I can do on the pitch."

Veseli was a member of City's academy and will initially link up with the United reserve team.

"I am very thankful to [United manager] Sir Alex Ferguson for bringing me to such a great club," he added.

"Manchester United has a long history of younger players coming through and hopefully I can follow and do the same."