Manchester United have exercised the option to tie down four of their first-team stars down for an extra season.
Juan Mata, Ander Herrera, Ashley Young and Daley Blind's deals were all due to expire at the end of the season, meaning they would therefore be able to leave Old Trafford for free.
However, for all four players, United had an option to trigger a one-year extension and have now done so, as per James Ducker from The Telegraph. All of the players who received a letter regarding their extension will remain on the same salary, but are now contracted until the end of 2018/19.
There was also an option in Luke Shaw's contract to retain him for another season, which United have also used.
Of all the players to have extended their stay, Ashley Young has perhaps been most deserving. He's established himself as Jose Mourinho's first-choice left-back and also turned out at right-back in the absence of captain Antonio Valencia.
In all fairness, the deals for Mata, Herrera, Young and Blind don't necessarily demonstrate their value to United - rather it means their market value has been boosted significantly.
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One man who doesn't look like extending his contract at the moment is Marouane Fellaini. His deal expires at the end of the current campaign and after rejecting contract offers from United, is free to speak to foreign clubs regarding a transfer. A move to Turkey is being mooted at the moment, though a summer switch looks much more likely than a mid-season transfer.
There has been a lot of speculation regarding Jose Mourinho's future at Manchester United in recent times, but the Portuguese dismissed reports in his press conference today.
"If you want to speak about some news, I say garbage!" he is quoted as saying by the official Manchester United website.
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"I don't find a better word to define the talk. If you want to ask me directly, which I suppose you want, if I see myself next season in Manchester United, I say I see myself [here] and, as I told you when I arrived, I am going to leave when the club wants me to leave because I have no intention to leave at all.
"My intention is to stay and to work and to improve and to bring the club to where the club belongs. I want to stay. I don't see any reason not to stay.
"So, yes, I still have a contract. In fact, I am in the middle of my contract, I'm not in the last couple of months. My desire is to stay. It's just a question of the club, the owners, the board, Mr [Ed] Woodward, [and what] they all want, [whether] they all are happy with my contribution and they want me to stay beyond the end of this contract. But, yes, I want to stay."
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: Jose Mourinho, Football, Manchester United, Ashley Young