Premier League giants Manchester United are hoping to come to terms with two of their best performers this season, Marcus Rashford and Diogo Dalot, over new deals which will keep them at Old Trafford for longer.
Both players, whose deals will be expiring at the end of the season, have been standout performers in Erik ten Hag’s new Manchester United.
The Portuguese fullback joined the club in 2018 from FC Porto but his time in England has not gone as planned. Rashford, on the other hand, is a home-grown talent out of Carrington but after a brilliant first two seasons, he has struggled to show the quality that made him highly rated and even touted as a potential Ballon d’Or winner.
But since the arrival of ten Hag from AFC Ajax Amsterdam in the summer, both players have seen an upturn in fortunes and form. Rashford is leading United’s scoring and assists charts this season with seven goals and three assists while Dalot is now one of the first names on the team sheet for any match.
Both players are also enjoying their new-found form. Rashford, who scored his 100th Manchester United goal last weekend in their 1 – 0 win over West Ham United last weekend, said: “I think, to be honest, it’s a completely different energy around the club and the training ground. That for a start puts me in a better headspace and I just feel really motivated now.”
Of his change in fortunes, Dalot, who is now the first choice right back ahead of Aaron Wan-Bissaka, said: “For us it is [ten Hag’s style] a challenge too, a demanding way to play football. We have to be physically very well, mentally we have to be sharp through 90 minutes.
“It sounds basic stuff but it’s hard when you have a manager that demands this kind of football but playing at Man United we have to be ready for these high standards and I think this is the right way for us, the right path and we’re just trying to develop and give our best. I’m sure in the future we will see progress.”
Both players, especially Dalot, are on the radar of other European clubs at the moment and Manchester United are hoping to negotiate deals with them before they are available to negotiate pre-contract deals with other clubs in January, based on the Bosman transfer rules.
