Antonio Valencia reportedly turned down the chance to leave Manchester United for one of Fulham or Newcastle United on deadline day.
The 33-year-old has spent the past decade at Old Trafford but is nearing the end of his latest contract, which does not look like being extended by a further 12 months.
Premier League pair Fulham and Newcastle had both been tracking Valencia but, according to The Sun, the winger-cum-defender rejected approaches from both clubs. United were supposedly happy for Ecuador international to move on as he has barely featured under interim boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, only being used in the 2-0 win over Newcastle on January 2.
Valencia, a £16m signing from Wigan Athletic in 2009, is now expected to quit United and become a free agent in the summer. Newcastle and Fulham could both have benefited from Valencia’s experience, and Claudio Ranieri in particular was keen to sign the Ecuadorian to bolster his defence, which has been the worst in the Premier League this season.
Valencia has since won two Premier League titles, an FA Cup, two League Cups, the UEFA Europa League and three FA Community Shields. Valencia was voted into the PFA Team of the Year in his debut season with the club.
On 26 May 2017, two days after captaining United in the 2017 UEFA Europa League Final, his contract at the club was extended until June 2019, with an option to extend for a further year. On 17 September 2017, Valencia scored his first goal of the season in a 4–0 win against Everton with a 20-yard half-volley. Later on 14 October, Valencia captained the team in his 300th appearance as Manchester United drew 0–0 at Liverpool. After being ruled out for four weeks with a hamstring injury, Valencia returned to action as he scored the opening goal in a 3–0 home victory against Stoke City in January 2018.
At the beginning of the 2018–19 season, and after the retirement of Michael Carrick, Manchester United manager José Mourinho announced Valencia would be the club’s first captain. Manchester United can activate an option to extend Valencia’s contract by a further twelve months, as they recently did for fellow full back Matteo Darmian.
According to the Manchester Evening News, Valencia acknowledges that he can no longer meet the standards demanded of a Manchester United full back, but is determined to prolong his career elsewhere. Having played for the club for ten years, Valencia qualifies for a testimonial match, though it remains to be seen if he will get one.