Manchester United facing battle to hold on to highly rated academy players on final-year contracts

Manchester United reportedly face a fight on their hands to hold on to various talented young players who are out of contract in the summer.

According to the Daily Mail, players like Tyler Blackett, Paddy McNair, Reece James, Jesse Lingard and Andreas Pereira are all yet to sign new deals. Since they will be free agents in the summer, they can sign pre-contract agreements with clubs abroad once the January transfer window opens.

Louis van Gaal will be keen to tie down the youngsters to new contracts, especially the likes of Blackett and McNair, who impressed in defence when called upon earlier in the season due to injuries sustained to senior defenders Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo.

It is believed that the youngsters will opt to stay at Old Trafford due to the influence of the new manager and his inclination to give young players the opportunity to play with the first-team.

The report claims that the club have sat down with Blackett over a new contract, but are yet to finalise details on the deal, allowing the player to look at other options once the January transfer window opens.

The Red Devils' fans will be weary as the memories of Paul Pogba being let go on a free transfer will still be fresh in their memories. The Frenchman has gone on to become one of the hottest prospects in European football and is currently attracting interest from all the top clubs due to his impressive performances for Juventus in the last couple of seasons.

However, it is expected that youngster Pereira will look to move away from the club either in January or during the summer with reports in Belgium suggesting that he is interested in finding a new club to get regular game time.