FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Manchester United v Newcastle United - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - October 16, 2022 Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo reacts before he is shown a yellow card by referee Craig Pawson REUTERS/David Klein/File Photo
(Reuters) - Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag wants his players to focus on their performances and not be distracted by contract talks, with Cristiano Ronaldo, David de Gea and Marcus Rashford among those in the final year of their deals.
The trio, who all played in United's 0-0 draw with Newcastle on Sunday, have an option to extend their contracts by a year.
"In this moment, we only think about performing, we have a lot of games to go so I don't want to get interfered by talks," Ten Hag told reporters.
"We have to focus on football, on performances and not negotiating, so that's what we'll do now."
When asked if being out of contract could give players an added incentive to perform, Ten Hag said, "some players get motivated when they play for a contract if you mean that, but it's not that.
"We work on the way we play, we work on the culture and we need, of course, quality players who are highly motivated. Such players, we are looking for, and luckily, we have them in the squad ..."
United, who are fifth in the Premier League, host Tottenham Hotspur later on Wednesday.
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
