You must be delighted to have signed a
new extended deal at Manchester United?
Yes I’m very happy to have signed a new long-
term contract with Manchester United. This is
one of the biggest clubs in the world and to
know that I will be playing here for the
majority of my career is something that I’m
looking forward to. I’m happy that everything
is now finalised and I can carry on
concentrating on my football.
This new contract will see you staying at
the club over 10 years, did you ever think
that when you first signed you would be
there so long?
I didn’t really know what was going to happen
and wasn’t something that I really thought
about at the time, I was just happy to have
joined a massive club like Manchester United.
The more I think about it 10 years is a long
time, but when you’re enjoying your football
at one of the biggest clubs in the world and
are comfortable there then that’s what
happens, we have seen this with the likes of
Paul Scholes, Gary Neville, Ryan Giggs and Rio
Ferdinand.
Some people will be surprised you signed a
new contract due to the possibility that the
club will not be in the Champions league
next season, was this a factor?
I know that’s what some of the press thought
but it’s not a massive concern for me. This is
because I know the direction that this club is
going in, and if we don’t make it this season
then we will come back stronger and claim a
Champions League spot next season. Let’s not
forget we still have a chance this year, some
of the other teams are playing well but we
have a strong squad here and if we have a
positive end to the season then who knows
what can happen.
You have signed for a further 5 and a half
years, does that mean you will stay at the
club for virtually your entire top-flight
career?
Yes, I’ve been here since I was 18 and this
contract will take me through to my thirties,
which is almost my entire professional career.
I’ve played most of my best football here and
am looking forward to hopefully playing even
better football in the next few years. I’ve had
a lot of special moments and hope there are
many more to come.
You are currently 4th on the all time
leading goal scoring record, this contract
gives you the chance to pass Sir Bobby
Charlton’s record of 249, was that
something that you focused on when
deciding to stay?
No it wasn’t a factor in my decision to stay,
but I do realize that this contract gives me the
opportunity to achieve it. This is definitely
something I would like to achieve and do think
about more, if I managed to do it it’d be
something I’d be very proud of. My aim is
always to score and create as many goals as
possible, so if I can continue to score
regularly and break the record then I would
be delighted.
Signing for Manchester United is a big
statement of intent from the club about
maintaining its status as one of world
footballs leading clubs, how do you see the
future for Manchester United?
The future is bright for Manchester United,
this is still one of the worlds leading clubs, we
have seen this with the signing of Juan Mata in
January. People have been saying that we may
have trouble attracting the world’s best
players but I think the fact Mata came here
shows this isn’t true. This is a new era for the
club, we have a new management team and a
great new manager in David Moyes, there has
to be some time for change. We have some
great players here and despite our recent form
everyone has stuck together and the team
spirit is still good, we will continue to work
hard and get Manchester United to the top
where it belongs.
Negotiations have obviously taken some
time to complete and there have been lots
of media speculation to what was going on,
how do you feel talks went?
Well if you believe everything you read in the
papers that’s because I have been demanding
to be captain and want an input into the
Club’s transfer policy (laughs) which is totally
laughable and of course untrue. The talks have
taken a while but that’s not unusual, it’s been
a difficult time for the club and there has
been a lot going on but the talks were positive
from the start. There was great belief in me
from David Moyes, Ed Woodward and the
board, and also the Glazers, this made my
decision a lot easier and I would like to thank
them for that. My teammates also played a big
part in my decision, I’d like to thank them for
their support and look forward to working
with them. Most importantly the fans have
always supported me since I joined the club,
through the good times and the bad times.
They continued this support whilst the talks
have been going on and I can’t thank them
enough.
Do you have any message for the fans?
I’d just like to thank them for all their support
since I joined the club and want to let them
know that I appreciate it, I’m very happy to
have signed a new contract and I’m looking
forward to sharing many more special
moments with them.
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