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Midfielder Juan Mata is set to be offered a new deal at Manchester United.
However, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants to keep him for a further year because he values his experience and positive influence on the squad.
The news has come as a surprise because it was widely expected that the Spaniard would leave the club this summer as he looks to play first-team football more regularly.
It will also enable them to protect his value, if they do decide to subsequently sell him.
Mata is thought to be happy to extend his stay in the North-West because he has business interests in Manchester, which include owning a restaurant.
The 32-year old joined United from Chelsea in 2014, and has made 267 appearances for them in all competitions, scoring 50 times.
However, he has had only limited opportunities this season, appearing in just seven games, and has spent most of the campaign sat on the bench.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.