The transfer window has closed and thus, the focus will be shifted towards either tying players down to new deals or preparing for their eventual departures.
This summer, as many as six first-team players left the club on free transfers after their contracts expired at the end of June and as things stand, United will face a similar situation at the end of this season.
A number of players, many of them regulars under Erik ten Hag, have just one year remaining on their contracts but United have an option to extend their deals for a further year.
Marcus Rashford, Luke Shaw, Diogo Dalot, David de Gea and Fred are among the players with less than 12 months remaining on their existing deals.
According to the Manchester Evening News, United are not planning to let any of the aforementioned players leave on free transfers and will trigger the options to tie them down until 2024.
As per the report, talks with the players’ representatives over new long-term deals have not begun, with the club focusing solely on transfer since Erik ten Hag was appointed earlier this year.
Rashford was linked with a move to longstanding admirers Paris Saint-Germain over the summer but United had no intention of parting ways with the forward.
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SN’s verdict…
Rashford’s contract situation, in particular, will grab headlines as the season progresses. His future at the club has been up in the air for the last 12 months amid the 24-year-old’s struggle to find form under Ralf Rangnick.
Ten Hag has taken him under his wing, however, with Rashford scoring three goals and providing two assists in the first six games of the season.
Rashford’s fine form this season has already reportedly earned him a return to the England fold, having been left out of the last two camps by Gareth Southgate.
Dalot is another player who has impressed this season and as things stand, he’s Ten Hag’s number one in that position. The jury is still out on David de Gea and Fred, whilst Luke Shaw’s long-term future at the club is looking increasingly bleak after Tyrell Malacia’s emergence.
