Antonio Valencia is set to leave Manchester United after the club declined to take up the option to activate a one-year extension in his contract.
The Ecuador international is approaching his tenth year at Old Trafford, and had a stipulation in his existing deal that would have allowed the club to extend his stay by a further season, which expired on Friday evening.
Sky Sports have now reported that United have decided not to trigger that option, and that it is understood the side’s captain is resigned to leaving at the end of the current campaign.
The 33-year-old is currently back in his native Ecuador recovering from a calf injury that has kept him sidelined in recent weeks, with interim boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer previously revealing his concerns over the former Wigan star’s fitness.
Valencia has made just nine appearances across all competitions this season, and has featured just once since Solskjaer replaced former manager Jose Mourinho.
Aside from injury problems, the veteran full-back has also seen his first-team opportunities limited by Ashley Young – who signed a one-year extension last month – and 19-year-old Diogo Dalot, who joined from Liga NOS side Porto last summer in a £19m deal.
After being a key figure in Wigan’s run in the Premier League in the late 2000s, Valencia joined Manchester United in 2009 in a £16m move, and has gone on to make 338 appearances for the Red Devils, winning the league twice.
This post was last modified on March 2, 2019 9:01 am