Manchester United latest news: Red Devils trigger one-year option to extend Ander Herrera’s contract as Barcelona circled
The midfielder was due to be out of contract at the end of the season and would have been available on a free as Barcelona and Atletico Madrid plotted a swoop
MANCHESTER UNITED have triggered the option to extend Ander Herrera's contract by a year.
The Spanish international's deal was due to expire at the end of the season.
And that led to Barcelona and Atletico Madrid both plotting moves to bring the midfielder back to his homeland.
However, and Old Trafford chiefs have moved to ensure that the ace is now tied to the club until the summer of 2019.
Herrera, 28, and his family are happily settled in the North West and he is believed to want to continue working under Mourinho.
His representatives have been holding a number of discussions with United over extending his contract long-term.
But by taking up the one-year option now, the Red Devils have protected their asset until they hold talks again with the star.
Herrera, who joined United from Athletic Bilbao in 2014,
enjoyed a key role under Jose Mourinho during the last campaign and won the club’s Player of the Year award as well as the EFL Cup and Europa League.
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However, since the summer arrival of Nemanja Matic, he has found opportunities much harder to come by.
That has led to Herrera publicly denying that he has had a fall-out with the Red Devils chief.
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And his patience appeared to be paying off after the injury to Paul Pogba.
Since the Frenchman damaged his hamstring, Herrera started eight of the last 11 matches in all competitions until the victory over Newcastle on Saturday.
He was back on the bench as Pogba returned to the starting XI, although he did come on for the final seven minutesafter replace Juan Mata.
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