O'Shea signs new deal with United

Darren Fletcher and John O’Shea have extended their contracts at Manchester United until 2009.

Scotland midfielder Fletcher has made impressive progress over the last 12 months, establishing himself as a first-team regular for both club and country.

The 21-year-old, who scored in Scotland’s 3-0 victory in Slovenia on Wednesday, told www.manutd.com: “I hope one day I can reach the level of Roy Keane and Paul Scholes.

“I’ll always want to improve; even the most experienced players here are still learning.”

Like Fletcher, versatile defender O’Shea, 24, suffered World Cup heartbreak this week as the Republic of Ireland failed to book their place in the finals in Germany next summer.

However, he has been called upon by United to fill in across the back four so far this season with injuries to Gabriel Heinze and Gary Neville.