Four Manchester United players are now inside the final year of their contracts, and the two names that change the temperature of the story are Luke Shaw and Bruno Fernandes. Shaw and Fernandes are the established first-team figures in the group, while Lisandro Martínez and Altay Bayındır make it a wider squad issue as well.

Shaw and Fernandes at the centre

United do not have a one-year extension option in Shaw's contract, so he would leave on a free transfer next summer if no new terms are agreed. That is the blunt part of this file. Shaw started every Premier League game last season, and completed 90 minutes in 25 of those 38 starts, which is a strong reminder of how heavily he was used when fit.

Fernandes is different. United have the option to extend his contract by 12 months, so there are currently no plans to offer the captain a new deal. Fernandes told Manchester-based reporters in October that he would not discuss his future with his agent until after the World Cup. He also said: "United chiefs have informed him of their desire for him to stay beyond this summer."

The wider contract picture

Martínez and Bayındır stop this being a two-player story. Martínez missed the first three months of the season while recovering from a knee injury, then missed more time between February and March because of a calf injury. Bayındır is expected to leave Old Trafford this summer in search of regular game time.

The headline decisions still sit with Shaw and Fernandes. United are leaning on short-term control, which keeps their options open, but it also leaves two core starters in a status that needs sorting sooner rather than later. Shaw's lack of an extension option makes his case the more awkward one, while Fernandes remains protected by the club's 12-month route.

The club's next move will matter most on Shaw's side, because that deal gives United no built-in escape hatch. Fernandes remains under club control for now, and the decision around him will sit with United before the season moves on.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →