Manchester United are in open discussions with former Bolton Wanderers loanee Shola Shoretire over a new contract as his current deal is set to expire, just four years after picking up the club’s Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year award.
The Red Devils have insisted they remain in open discussions with their academy graduate after just a handful of first team appearances for the club.
Shoretire appeared once in the Europa League, three times in the Premier League and once in the Champions League against BSC Young Boys. The latter marked a record for the club as he became the youngest player to make an appearance in European competition in the club’s history beating Norman Whiteside by 108 days.
In January 2023, after failing to hold down a spot in the first team squad he departed on loan for Bolton Wanderers in League One, he scored his first goal in senior football whilst appearing 16 times for the club. Unfortunately he was cup-tied so couldn’t appear in Bolton’s EFL Trophy cup win at Wembley.
What does the future hold for the youngster?
The wording of the statement is key, they have stated that discussions remain open over a potential new contract. This means they haven’t completely decided whether they would like to release him completely from the club or not. With his contract expiring, the club will have to make a decision soon otherwise he will be released as a free agent.
Could he end up back in the EFL?
His loan spell in League One was reasonably successful, he started in 12 of their games and contributed a goal and an assist. Should they opt to release him, at 20 years old he still has a lot of development time ahead of him, whilst he is unlikely to move to another Premier League side to become part of their first team and he may not be ready for the Championship, I wouldn’t be surprised to see one of them swoop him up to potentially loan him out further down the pyramid to continue his development.
He still lacks a lot of physicality and can often find himself outmuscled on the ball, his technical ability can get him out of those situations, but in the EFL against towering, experienced defenders and defensive midfielders he may struggle to put his stamp on the game. That being said there is clearly potential there, you don’t make appearances for Manchester United in the Champions League unless they see something in you. It is perhaps too early to predict where he will end up, but he needs to start registering game time in the near future.