Manchester United remain hopeful youngster Shola Shoretire will sign a new contract with the club.
Shoretire, 20, is out of contract at Old Trafford at the end of the season and it looks increasingly likely the curtains could be brought down on his time spent in Manchester.
However, despite Shoretire's contract expiry date beginning to loom, the Manchester Evening News understands United remain hopeful an agreement can be reached over a new deal.
Shoretire was given his first-team debut by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer against Newcastle in February 2021 before playing in the Europa League just a few days later, an appearance which meant he became the youngest player to appear for the club in European competition.
ALSO READ: United given Old Trafford timeframe as significant £2billion decision looms
ALSO READ: United targeting two summer signings to solve 10-year problem
Shoretire was just 17 years and 23 days old when breaking the record and that opportunity was recognition of his talent at a time when he was expected to break into the first-team.
The forward joined Bolton Wanderers in January 2023 on a six-month loan in search of regular minutes and made 16 appearances, scoring once and assisting twice.
Last summer, it's understood Shoretire received interest from Championship clubs and abroad, but another loan didn't materialise and he was kept around the academy. Shoretire was in excellent form for the Under-21s at the beginning of the season, contributing nine goals and four assists in 12 appearances, and often wore the captain's armband.
The Newcastle-born lad was keen to leave on loan in the January transfer window and talks opened over a new contract, but an agreement still hasn't been struck.
Shoretire picked up a minor injury in February and hasn't featured for the U21s or been spotted in senior training since. He signed his first professional contract and picked up the Jimmy Murphy award in 2021, which has also been won by Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Marcus Rashford.
Former United U21 boss Neil Wood spoke to the MEN about Shoretire in November and said: "I think what people don't realise about Shola is he's been at this level a long time.
"He's still so young and we took him to Valencia with United a few years ago for the UEFA Youth League when he was 14. He's a top, top player, but people forget how young he is and how difficult it is to break into Manchester United's first-team.
"If he's not going to get into the first-team, then I think potentially he's going to need to go into the leagues and find his way. I know he went to Bolton and had a great experience with a great manager there.
"They have a really good team, which would have benefited him massively during that loan, so I don't know what his plan is, but looking from the outside then I think he needs to be playing first-team football."
