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Manchester United are ready to enter contract talks with the duo of Marcus Rashford and Luke Shaw, as per The Daily Mirror. Both players are contracted to the club until the summer of 2023. The report suggests that the Red Devils are happy to tie both down with long-term deals.
Both Englishmen are viewed as part of a 'key group of core players' by the Manchester United hierarchy. They are also believed to be part of the club's future under their new manager.
Rashford has been the posterboy for the club since his emergence from the youth ranks as a teenage prodigy, making his senior debut in 2016. However, he has endured a difficult season this time out.
The England international has only managed to score five goals and provide two assists in 26 games across all competitions.
The 24-year-old has had the worst season of his entire career and clearly seems to be lacking confidence.
On top of that, he has been used in multiple positions in attack under different managers over the years. This has impacted his game as he seems to be lacking an end product.
Shaw, on the other hand, has also struggled for form this campaign despite starring for England at the 2020 Euros. The 26-year-old has made just 26 appearances this season with 19 of them coming in the Premier League.
The left-back took his name on the scoresheet for England in the international break, scoring the equalizer against Switzerland in a 2-1 win.
But the former Southampton defender has been far from impressive for Ralf Rangnick's side this season. He has even been benched in favour of Alex Telles on multiple occasions.
Will Manchester United be wise to hand new deals to under-performing players like Rashford and Shaw?
With Rashford and Shaw both having just 15 months left on their current contracts, Manchester United find themselves in a difficult position.
However, it would be wise for them to wait for the opinion of their next manager. They might want to see whether he can manage to inspire the duo to be back at their best.
There is no denying the fact that Rashford and Shaw are both quality players and are in the right age group to be considered key players for the future. However, Manchester United cannot afford to make the mistake of forcing their next gaffer to regard the duo as building blocks for the future.
