Manchester United must shelve all player contract talks until new manager is hired

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Manchester United are heading into a pivotal moment in the club’s future, with the appointment of a new manager.

And with this in mind, it is vitally important United do not repeat decisions of the past. For this reason, all contract talks should be instantly shelved.

Fabrizio Romano reports goalkeeper David de Gea is expected to sign a new deal this year. Marcus Rashford’s contract is also looming, set to expire in 2023.

There is also the issue of expiring contracts, with Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, and Juan Mata among the players looking set to leave this summer on a free.

United must let new boss choose direction

David de Gea is a great goalkeeper – however, he does have his flaws. FBRef.com report De Gea ranks 19th out of 20 in the Premier League for passes completed of 40 yards or more.

He also ranks 20th out of goalkeepers for the numbers of crosses prevented all season, with just seven in total.

United’s next manager may be comfortable with this being balanced out by De Gea’s terrific shot saving ability.

However, it is crucial he is given the chance to choose. The new boss may prefer a more well-rounded goalkeeper, one he can buy, or take a chance on Dean Henderson, or stick with De Gea.

Whatever choice he makes is up to him. But it is essential he makes the choice.

Consider the situation where United’s new boss does not want De Gea, and then the goalkeeper is sitting there on potentially the highest wages in the squad, as an expensive back-up who the club can’t get rid of, draining financial resources.

Applies to Paul Pogba situation too

It’s probably unlikely Paul Pogba stays at this point. If he wanted to sign a new deal, he would have done by now. But if he feels he can’t land a move elsewhere, talks may start up again.

The new manager will likely only be hired around June 1, giving United one month to negotiate with Pogba if they wish. That’s fine to make one last effort if the manager chooses to.

What would be terrible, would be if the club signed Pogba to a new deal in early May, for high wages, and then the new manager comes in and decides he does not see him as a key player.

United have regularly botched contracts in the past, with Phil Jones’ long-term contract extension agreed while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was only an interim manager. Jones has barely played since signing the deal and still has another year left to run.

It’s fine for United to plan for the future and draft up potential contracts, but the next manager has to be the one who approves or rejects them.