Manchester United have extended the contracts of Sam Johnstone, Daley Blind and Ashley Young by another year according to reports. It is believed that the Red Devils bosses exercised their rights to extend the contracts by one year to keep the players at Old Trafford.
The contracts for all three players were set to expire at the end of the current season but United have now sealed the deal to keep the players at the club until the summer of 2019. While for Blind and Young the matter is fairly simple, the complication comes for young goalkeeper Sam Johnstone.
The custodian has been out on loan to play for Steve Bruce’s Sky Bet Championship side Aston Villa and has been trustworthy in goal for them. The 24-year-old goalkeeper who is set to turn 25 this month has played 34 games for the high-flying Villa side and has overseen 14 shutouts in charge. He commands the fourth best defensive team in terms of goals conceded and his performances have seen Villa pick up crucial points. They are now as high as third in the table and are well in contention to qualify for the playoffs.
Henderson is currently a part of United’s loaned out group of players. Although the club sees great potential for the keeper and wants to retain him as a future first-team player, Henderson himself might be caught in two minds.
His current contract was supposed to expire at the end of the current season but now with the extension being triggered, he will be unsure of his future. His dilemma has not been helped by the fact that the 24-year-old has been held in high esteem at Aston Villa.
The player will want to know his future at Old Trafford when he returns at the end of the current season. United have in their ranks a world-class goalkeeper in David De Gea. The Spaniard has risen to the top of the tree in professional football in the last few years and is now possibly the best man in goal in world football.
He, however, has been courted for long by Real Madrid now and could move this summer. De Gea moving might free up the spot in goal but it is highly unlikely that Mourinho will ever use Johnstone and not buy in a world-class replacement to fill up De Gea’s empty spot. This would mean that a bleak future lies in store for Johnstone at United and he would need to get his career sorted as early as possible.
