Manchester United

Manchester United

Premier League • England

Fabrizio Romano guarantees Erik ten Hag ‘really pushing’ for vital Man Utd attacker deal that board can’t afford to miss out on

Man Utd manager Erik ten Hag

Erik ten Hag has made it a “top priority” to secure a crucial attacking deal for Manchester United, having made his stance clear since day one, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The January transfer window is fast approaching and Man Utd will need to address the state of their attack. After releasing Cristiano Ronaldo, they have a void to fill up front. There are several ways they could try to fill it.

For example, Ten Hag is keen to raid the Eredivisie again to sign Cody Gakpo from PSV Eindhoven. Bringing in the winger would give him another option in the final third.

Just as important as bringing in new recruits, though, is keeping hold of players Ten Hag wants to build around.

For instance, Marcus Rashford has been facing an uncertain future as the end of his contract has been approaching. His deal was due to run out in June 2023, although Romano recently relayed that Man Utd were triggering their option to extend it until 2024.

Obviously, they will not be done there. Now, Romano has provided an update as to what Man Utd want next for the 25-year-old – and how highly his manager thinks of him.

Romano said on his YouTube channel: “I can guarantee to you that behind the scenes in private, in his conversations with Manchester United board, Erik ten Hag is pushing as an obsession, of course positive obsession, to extend Marcus Rashford contract.

“What happened in the last few days: Manchester United triggered the option to extend his contract from 2023 to 2024. So Rashford is absolutely not leaving as a free agent in the summer.

Ten Hag unlikely to find Marcus Rashford replacement

“But Erik ten Hag wants Marcus Rashford to sign a new long-term deal.

“He thinks that it’s going to be really difficult for Man Utd to find another player like Rashford on the market, that it’s a big opportunity to have a gem like Rashford into the club.

“He had a difficult season last year but then Erik ten Hag arrived and since day one he had a conversation with Rashford, he told Rashford how important he was in his project for Man Utd.

“So Erik ten Hag considers Rashford a top player for present and future and he doesn’t want Manchester United to miss on this contract extension.

“He knows how important [it] is to keep the player, how important [it] is to have a long-term contract because 2024 means no problem for this summer but potential problem in one year.

“So this is why Man Utd will have conversations with the agents of Rashford. ‘We’ll offer him a new long-term contract.’

“But Erik ten Hag is really pushing a lot. He knows how [it] is important for Man Utd to keep Rashford because many top clubs around Europe know about his contract situation. They know that he could be a big free agent in summer 2024, and so Ten Hag is pushing a lot.

“He considers [it] really important to have Marcus Rashford committed on a new long-term deal with Manchester United. So this is a really important one. There will be conversations between Rashford and Man Utd on [a] new contract.

“But for Erik ten Hag, this is top priority. It’s like a new signing.

“And last summer when PSG approached it, people close to Marcus Rashford, Erik ten Hag was really clear with [the] Man Utd board. ‘It’s not about the replacement. Marcus Rashford has to stay here at Man Utd. He has to be one of the faces of the project.’

“So Ten Hag is pushing on this one.”

With the immediate pressure of losing Rashford in the new year now off, Man Utd will still be hoping for quick progress on any further updated terms.

He has scored nine goals from 20 appearances in all competitions for the club this season.

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