Erik ten Hag has taken the smart decision early into his reign to place all player contract extensions on hold, The Telegraph previously reported. His argument was that players have to earn the right to stay.
You do wonder at this point, how long the stand-off will last. Ten Hag arrived in late June, it is now November, and two players have surely proved they deserve new deals.
Marcus Rashford and Diogo Dalot are two players who have surely proven they 100 per cent deserve contract extensions, with excellent performances so far this season.
Both Rashford and Dalot are out of contract in 2023. United have an automatic option to extend both players’ deals to 2024, which is the club’s ‘get out’ to prevent either leaving the club on a free next as soon as next summer.
United won’t have the same back-up plan available in a year, so a long-term fix needs to be found for both players, not just an emergency 12-month extension.
Rashford and Dalot deserve new deals
Marcus Rashford came into the season with question marks over his future. Last season was his worst scoring campaign of his career, just five goals scored, when his form appeared to totally vanish.
It had seemed he was not pushing himself, with supporters suggesting there was a lack of effort in his late season appearances. Under Erik ten Hag he has looked transformed.
Rashford admitted, via the club website: “It’s a complete different energy around the whole club and the training ground. That for a start puts me in a better headspace and I just feel really motivated now.
“I really struggled at times [last season]. More just mental things and not really my own performance. It was other things off the pitch and that’s the biggest difference from this season.”
Rashford has 10 goal contributions in total this season with seven goals and three assists.
Diogo Dalot made a big improvement last season, but it still wasn’t enough. United needed him to get better, and certainly not regress.
Thankfully he has taken a huge leap forward. Dalot is arguably the most improved player in the Premier League, flourishing under Ten Hag.
Even more so than Rashford, where there are several attacking options, United are relying on Dalot at right-back.
Erik ten Hag clearly does not rate Aaron Wan-Bissaka and told Sky Sports (30/10) that he is open to signing another player at the position because he needs two players of Dalot’s quality.
United certainly do not want to let Dalot go, nor Rashford who struck his 100th club goal at the weekend.
It will soon be time for United to show some commitment towards the pair, with new contracts, when Erik ten Hag is happy to do so. When that time comes, both Rashford and Dalot will fully deserve it.
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