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Man Utd Midfielder Ruled Out of Russia Trip as Mourinho Plans Several New Deals for First Team Stars

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Manchester United midfielder Marouane Fellaini will miss the club's Champions League group stage clash with CSKA Moscow on Wednesday night due to injury, Sky Sports report.

The Belgian has not recovered from ankle damage he suffered stemming from a tackle by Shane Long in the 1-0 win over Southampton on Saturday, and he has not travelled with the squad out to Russia for the group stage game as a result. 

Fellaini joins fellow midfielder Paul Pogba on the treatment table, with 20-year-old Scott McTominay taking his place in the squad.

Fellaini's condition will come as a blow to manager Jose Mourinho, who has used the 29-year-old in Pogba's role since the Frenchman picked up an injury of his own in the recent Champions League win over FC Basel.

The former Everton man has proven himself to be a key part of Mourinho's squad over the past few weeks, and Mourinho is said to be so impressed that he's now keen to sign the player to a new contract before the turn of the year.

A report from the Independent claims that Mourinho is keen to sort out lingering contract issues with a number of players as soon as possible, so that the players concerned are able to maintain their focus strictly to on-field matters. Fellaini's current contract expires in 2018, and both he and wonderkid Marcus Rashford are believed to be first in line for extensions.

The report comes swiftly after news that United are looking to tie down David de Gea to a new long-term deal to ward off interest from Real Madrid, and the club are also relaxed over negotiations for a new deal for De Gea's national compatriot Ander Herrera - who is rumoured to have fallen out with his boss recently.

All is said to be well between Herrera and Mourinho however, with the Portuguese still seeing "great value" in last season's Club Player of the Year. The likes of Luke Shaw, Daley Blind and Juan Mata are however each out of contract at the end of the current campaign as it stands.

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