Man Utd's day-one girl is going nowhere! Leah Galton agrees contract extension through to 2026 - but no breakthrough yet in Mary Earps negotiations

Man Utd have been working for some time to agree a new contract with Galton, with the long-serving forward set to become a free agent in the summer. However, on Wednesday, the club confirmed that the two parties have struck a deal.

After signing the dotted lines, the English forward said, "I’m delighted to continue my journey with Manchester United and want to thank my friends, family and team-mates for their continued support - along with our wonderful fans, who have been great to me throughout my time here."

Manager Mark Skinner was delighted to see his player extending his stay at the club as he said, "Leah continues to lead by example, on and off the pitch, and epitomises everything a professional footballer should be. We are delighted to see her commit her future to the club and look forward to many more winning experiences together."

Galton has been at the club since it relaunched its women's team back in 2018. She's racked up over 100 appearances in that time and played a vital role in Man Utd establishing themselves at the top table, helping the Red Devils to hit milestones such as promotion to the Women's Super League, an FA Cup final and their first ever appearance in the Women's Champions League.

To keep the 29-year-old around is a huge boost, then, but there is still a lot of work for Man Utd to do when it comes to contract renewals. Captain Katie Zelem and forwards Lucia Garcia, Rachel Williams and Nikita Parris all have contracts that will expire in a few months' time, as does England star Mary Earps, who was linked heavily with a move to Arsenal last summer. There have been rumblings of interest from clubs in Europe for Earps during the January transfer window, too, but she appears set to stay in Manchester for the time being.

Galton is one of just five players to make over 100 appearances for Man Utd's women's team, along with Ella Toone, Zelem, Millie Turner and Earps. She is also the team's second highest goal-scorer in its short history, only behind Toone.

Man Utd are in action again on Sunday when they host Brighton in the WSL, where they will be looking to make it back-to-back wins after a narrow triumph over Aston Villa last weekend.