Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag insists no decision has been made on the futures of Jonny Evans or Raphael Varane despite reports suggesting the pair will leave come the end of the season. The defensive duo have been strongly linked with departures from Old Trafford.
Evans signed a one-year deal at the start of the campaign, with the veteran former academy graduate a surprise addition after Leicester’s relegation from the Premier League. Varane’s own contract will only have a year to run come the summer.
The Frenchman has been linked with a big-money move to Saudi Arabia. Injury problems and a loss of form have limited him to just nine top-flight starts this term.
However, Ten Hag has played down suggestions that the pair will leave. The Dutchman says that decisions over their respective futures have not been made.
Asked whether United have discussed new deals with Evans and Varane, Ten Hag responded: “We haven’t made the decision yet.”
Ten Hag also believes that reported plans to build a ‘Wembley of the north’ proves the ambition of the club’s incoming INEOS hierarchy. According to the Daily Telegraph, prospective investor Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants to build a new venue to rival the likes of Wembley, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the Emirates Stadium.
The plan – just one of the options on the table to upgrade Old Trafford – will see a new stadium built on the land of the current venue. Ratcliffe reportedly believes that fans would be open to an entirely new stadium as long as it exists on the site of their spiritual home.
Asked about the idea of a ‘northern Wembley’, Ten Hag said: “So if that is his view then I would say it expresses the ambition of this club which is good but it is not my task in this club to deal with stadium questions, with facilities, my job is to manage the team and rebuild the squad.”
