Manchester United begin discussions over new contract with in-form striker

Manchester United have reportedly set their sights of extending the contract of striker Marcus Rashford following his promising form since leading the attack under interim head coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The England international was offered an intermittent role from the starting lineup with ex-boss Jose Mourinho at the helm but things have changed under Ole, who has given the forward with the freedom to lead the line.

In the eight league games under Ole, Rashford has excelled with six goals and the majority of those have come from the centre-forward position where he has taken up the duties from previous regular Romelu Lukaku.

According to The Manchester Evening News, the Red Devils have now begun negotiations regarding a new deal with the marksman, although the talks are still at the initial stage with terms yet to be finalised.

Rashford’s current deal with the Mancunian giants expires in the summer of 2020 but the club have the luxury of a 12-month extension clause which they could trigger to prolong his stay for another campaign.

Based on this, there remains no hurry in convincing the 21-year-old to commit to a new contract, although the club will want to finalise an extension at the earliest to focus on doing the same with other key players.

Rashford has already made over 150 appearances for United across all competitions and he most recently marked his 100th outing in the Premier League with a goal in the slender 1-0 triumph over Leicester City.

The result has propelled United to the fifth spot for the first time since Ole took charge of the club and they have the opportunity to get into the top four this weekend, should Chelsea stumble at Manchester City.

The Blues are currently two points ahead of the Red Devils for the fourth position but a victory for the latter at Fulham combined with a defeat for Maurizio Sarri’s side would witness a switch in positions.

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