Manchester United midfielder could quit Old Trafford in January

Herrera is frustrated at the delay over being offered a new deal

It looks as though Manchester United are set to become embroiled in another contract stand-off as Ander Herrera waits to extend his deal. The midfielder’s current agreement expires at the end of the season, but United are reportedly dragging their heels over prolonging his stay at Old Trafford. Herrera was named the club’s Player of the Year in the 2016/17 campaign and was handed an automatic 12-month extension in November 2017 following his impressive contribution. He struggled to nail down a regular first-team place in 2017/18, however, starting only 13 matches in the Premier League as Jose Mourinho experimented with a series of different line-ups. It’s thought the Spaniard is desperate to commit his future to United, but reports have now emerged that he will look elsewhere in January if his loyalty isn’t reciprocated. According to the Metro: ‘Herrera’s camp are understood to be frustrated by United’s refusal so far to offer fresh terms and believe their client will not be short of offers in January when he is free to speak to other clubs.’ United faced a similar issue last season when they allowed talks over a new deal for Marouane Fellaini to drag on. The Belgian was strongly linked with a move to Turkish outfit Besiktas before finally putting pen to paper on two more years at Old Trafford. Despite handing Herrera limited playing time last season, Mourinho regards the midfielder to be a key member of his squad, frequently selecting him in the Champions League. The manager said recently that he is not involved in contract talks, otherwise he would cede to all the players’ demands. “I don’t belong in the process of discussing deals with the players and negotiations with agents,” said Mourinho.  “I never did that, it’s something that I don’t even like to do. I would be a bad negotiator, I would give everything to the players. So I don’t belong to that.”