'The door was always open'

HARRIS SAYS THAT CLUB KEPT IN TOUCH WITH HIS 'RETURNING' DUO

- By STEPHEN PAGE

United head coach Neil Harris insists that the deals to retain Shayne Lavery and Shane McLoughlin have been a "work in progress over the summer".

The U's confirmed last week that the pair have penned new one-year contracts, having announced in May that the duo were two of seven players that would leave the club at the end of their deals.

Discussing the duo's retention, Harris told his club: "People might look from the outside and say 'they got released', they never got released.

"I think obviously we know in the game, but just to explain to the fans that maybe don't know or didn't understand what I said at the end of the season, we have to by law - the EFL rules - retain and release, so if players haven't agreed contracts, then sometimes it's easier just to say they've not agreed, so they're on a released list.