The uncertainty surrounding the future owners of Manchester United will not have an impact on the club’s attempts to tie down Marcus Rashford to a new deal, it has been reported.

Rashford, 25, is currently enjoying the best goalscoring season of his career so far  having shown himself to be integral to Erik ten Hag’s transformation of the club.

The imperative nature of tying Rashford down to a new long-term deal has been acknowledged by the club. They have already held discussions over a new deal, while Ten Hag confirmed people were working hard behind the scenes to get it done.

According to The Athletic, amid the club being put up for sale last November and parties such as Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani putting in bids, the uncertainty over the future stewardship of the club will not have any bearing on attempts to tie Rashford down.

Manager Ten Hag said on Sunday that tying Rashford down was a ‘priority’ for the club following a further two goals, taking him to 16 in the period immediately following the World Cup, 24 in total this season.

Unlike Chelsea under Roman Abramovich last year, who were placed under Government-imposed sanctions preventing them from engaging in contract and transfer negotiations, there is nothing stopping United from continuing discussions and the club will reportedly continue to do so.

With uncertainty over whether or not the Glazers will accept either of the two confirmed bids that have been submitted so far, there was potential cause for concern that the sale could force Rashford’s new deal onto the back-burner, at least for the time being.

Rashford’s transformation into one of Europe’s deadliest forwards has come under the leadership of Ten Hag, who revealed on Sunday that he told the player he wanted to see him smile more, while accepting the importance of the England international signing on.

‘Of course [Rashford’s new contract] is a priority,’ Ten Hag said. ‘We are working on that, just sit and wait, but in the background we work hard. Of course [we have to keep him].

‘I think the team is in a good place and Marcus is definitely in a good place. We are happy with his performances. He is in such good form. You can keep that if you keep the right energy and put the right investment in.

‘Every game you have to take it as a new game. And you know at the moment that when Marcus comes into the position that he will score. When he is happy it gives him energy and a positive mood and then the goals will come. He has such great skills to score goals.

‘I don’t know [if he wasn’t happy last season]. On the first day I met him, I told him “I want to see your smile, I want to see your teeth and then it is OK”.

‘We see it often and I think he is in a happy place and the whole dressing room is in a happy place and I think it is good.’