Manchester United need to start following Man City blueprint as contract dilemma looms

Manchester United's turnaround this season has been just what Erik ten Hag wanted after a sticky start.

The Dutchman is slowly but surely implementing his style upon his new club, as shown by a four-match winning streak in the Premier League.

While all looks rosy on the horizon, there is one slightly big concern when it comes to player contract: the end of this season sees a glut of United stars' deals run out.

Read more: United player ratings for this season

To lose top-class players for nothing would be a bitter blow to take, especially after the summer United have just endured. Paul Pogba, the club's most expensive signing, was allowed to depart on a free after his contract ran down. He wasn't the only one as Jesse Lingard and Juan Mata, among others, also departed without the club recouping a transfer fee.

United have one-year options on several players whose deals are winding down and the MEN understands United plan to exercise those options with David de Gea, Diogo Dalot, Shaw, Fred and Marcus Rashford.

Tying that quintet down to longer-term deals would reduce the burden on a large squad turnaround next summer. A glance across the city shows how it can and should be done. A look at Manchester City's list of players inside the final year of their deal shows only one player who is considered crucial: Ilkay Gundogan.

Going beyond this season, only a further two stars have deals which are set to expire in 2024 although Phil Foden is widely expected to sign a new deal.

City's policy is to run a tight ship that seldom allows stars to let their contracts run down let alone leave on a free. The caveat to this for United is that at least they have options inserted into a number of stars' deals, allowing them to extend