Blackett signs new Man Utd deal

Manchester United defender Tyler Blackett has put pen to paper on a new deal which will keep him at Old Trafford until the summer of 2017.

United boss Louis van Gaal has praised the England Under-21 international on several occasions this term, and was clearly intending to keep the highly-rated academy graduate in Manchester for the foreseeable future.

“I am delighted that Tyler has signed a new contract,” said Van Gaal.

“He is another young player that has risen through the academy system to break into the first-team squad this season.

“Tyler has great potential and I believe he is at the right club to continue his development and progression to become a great defender.”

Blackett, who has made nine English Premier League appearances for United in 2014/15, added: “I’m thrilled to have signed my new contract.

“I have supported United all my life and have been here since I was eight years old.

“To come through the academy and make my debut this season was a dream come true. I want to keep improving within the first-team squad with the help of the manager, coaches and the players around me.”

Nani open to United stay

Portugal international winger Nani has insisted he still loves Manchester United and remains open to the possibility of staying at the club after his season-long loan with Sporting CP expires at the end of the season.

Nani, who joined Sporting on loan for the 2014/15 campaign as part of the deal which brought Marcos Rojo to Old Trafford, has bagged eight goals in 25 appearances in all competitions for Sporting this term.

“I love Manchester United,” Nani told The Guardian.

“The only decision I made [last summer] was to play more and be me again, because I lost a lot of things there last season due to injuries and the change of manager.

“You never know the future. It depends on a lot of things. If United want me to stay then with a different mentality I think we can work well next season but there are a lot of things to discuss.”

In other news, Championship side Watford have completed the signing of former Roma right-back Marco Motta, subject to international clearance.

Motta, 28, was released by Juventus earlier this month, but has not made a first-team appearance since pre-season.

The once-capped Italy international joins a Watford side who are currently in sixth-place, i.e. the final promotion play-off place, in the league table.