By Matt Scott
The Sun recently revealed that Republic of Ireland international John O’Shea has signed a new £16.5million contract.
Sir Alex Ferguson is keen to tie down the remaining Manchester United players whose contracts are running out. This news comes off the back of Wayne Rooney’s new, reported, £250,000 a week contract. Patrice Evra, who has been an ever present in the United side this season, has also just recently signed a new long term £100,000 a week contract.
29-year-old O’Shea, who won’t argue against the fact that he isn’t as integral to the team as Evra or Rooney, will no doubt be delighted with his £80,000 a week deal. O’Shea, who defines the term versatile, has played all across the back four and midfield as well as a brief appearance as an emergency goalkeeper during his 12 year career at Old Trafford.
John O'Shea, Wayne Rooney, Michael Carrick - Image Credit Wikimedia |
The new contracts that are being offered to players are a statement of intent from the club, to let that fans know that they can still compete on a financial level with the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City. David Gill, the Manchester United Chief executive said, ‘we have a policy that wages should be 50per cent or less of our turnover. We believe that we can do that and still retain and attract the starts that we need. This is a sensible model.’
It has also been suggested that Brazilian midfielder Anderson, who is yet to justify his hefty price tag, will be offered a new deal. This may come as a surprise to some fans that have seen much speculation linking Anderson with move away from Manchester. The likes of Portuguese Giants Porto and Greek side Panathinaikos have been mentioned as potential destinations.