subject: Vidic Will Stay With Manchester United [print this page] Serbian Captain and Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic has dashed rumours that he plans to leave the club. He has been repeatedly linked to big money moves abroad to Barcelona, Real Madrid and AC Milan.
He claims there was never any question whether he would leave Manchester United despite heavy interest from Jose Mourinho to lure him to Real Madrid. Before the world cup a representative had said Vidic had "requested some time from United to think about things", while Sir Alex Ferguson said he could not clarify the situation.
But shortly after, the club's chief executive David Gill revealed that he had a verbal agreement with Vidic for a long-term contract to remain at Old Trafford. The international claims he always wanted to stay at the club, "I don't know why people think it was a difficult decision," he said. "I always said I am happy here. I never spoke about my future. I know there was all this speculation but I never said I wanted to go. There was nothing new. I am very happy to be here."
The 90,000-a-week contract will make him one of the highest paid players on the squad and the extension takes his deal up to a massive 18.72m.
World cup players, of which there are many among Manchester United, are excused from their latest USA tour, including Vidic, so he will make the deal official when he returns from his holiday. With the possibility of veterans such as Ryan Giggs and Edwin Van Der Sar going into retirement, Vidic could become one of the more senior figures in the locker room.
Wayne Rooney's contract, which currently has two years left to run, will be under discussion as the club attempts to extend it. Vidic's decision to stay is a huge plus for the team considering Rio Ferdinand's fitness problems and the general uncertainty of their defence.
