UK Edition
Scott McTominay signs new Manchester United deal until 2023
Scott McTominay has signed a new four-and-a-half year contract with Manchester United. The Scotland midfielder’s deal ties him to Old Trafford until June 2023 and includes an option on the club’s side to extend the arrangement by a further 12 months.
McTominay, 22, broke into United’s first team at the back end of Jose Mourinho’s first season in charge and has made 33 appearances for the club.
Several clubs have expressed interest in taking McTominay on loan this month for the remainder of the campaign but United’s caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is reluctant to let him go after Marouane Fellaini was ruled out for a month with a calf injury.
The continuing uncertainty over Fellaini’s future, despite the Belgian’s injury, could also dictate that McTominay stays put for now. United will hope to follow the news by tying France forward Anthony Martial to a new five-year contract.
“Scott is a young midfielder and is constantly improving,” Solskjaer said. “He’s an intelligent player and wants to learn all the time. There is no doubt that he has a bright future ahead of him.”
Solskjaer is also thought to be wary of allowing Matteo Darmian to leave before the close of the winter window on Thursday week, even though the Italy defender’s desire to join Juventus on loan with a view to a permanent £7 million transfer could lead to his departure.
Juventus remain hopeful of reaching an agreement with United, who have triggered a one-year extension in Darmian’s contract to extend his deal until the end of next season and bolster the 29-year-old’s transfer value.
Signed from Torino for £12.7 million in 2015, Darmian has become a peripheral figure over the past 18 months but he is considered a solid professional and useful utility player and there has been no great appetite to push him out of the door.
United’s 2-1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday was their seventh successive win under Solskjaer. But Ander Herrera believes next month’s fixtures - and how the team react to a potential setback - will provide a much clearer idea of how significantly they have improved under the Norwegian.
As well as the visit of Liverpool in the Premier League and Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, United have tricky away league games against Leicester and Crystal Palace.
“We have to be prudent because we are in the middle of the season with a lot of games to play and we have a really tough schedule in February,” said Herrera.
“Our attacking players overall are really enjoying playing close to the opposition box, we are creating a lot of chances and we are being the protagonist team in every game so we are really happy.
“But this is only six [league] games [under Solskjaer] and we have to keep the balance right, to keep winning and performing the way we are doing. I think we are going to have tough moments and tough games so let’s see how the team reacts and how we fight against those circumstances.”
Herrera believes Paul Pogba - who has five goals in six games under Solskjaer - is one of the three most influential midfielders in the world. “He has performed amazingly,” Herrera said. “He has changed games and he has the quality to play the ball and make the team play well and he also has the quality to win a game for us. Not every midfielder in the world can say that - probably only two or three can do that, and he’s one of them.”