Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed Manchester United will be exercising the option to extend Dimitar Berbatov's contract by a further season.

Ferguson to keep Bulgarian striker for a further season

Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed Manchester United will be exercising the option to extend Dimitar Berbatov's contract by a further season. Berbatov's current deal expires at the end of the campaign, but the Premier League champions have a 12-month option in their favour. The Bulgarian striker had been linked with a January move away from Old Trafford after struggling to command a place in the United starting line-up this season. Fulham were mooted as admirers of the 30-year-old, while his representatives claimed there had been contact regarding a potential return to Bayer Leverkusen. However, Ferguson has decided to keep the former Tottenham Hotspur forward as part of his plans and will take up the option to extend Berbatov's deal. "We'll be exercising (the option to renew]," said the United boss. "I think it kicks in in March." Berbatov was the joint leading scorer in the Premier League last season, but has started only twice in the competition this term. He came off the bench to score his first league goal of the campaign in last week's 5-0 win at Fulham before plundering a hat-trick when starting the Boxing Day mauling of 10-man Wigan Athletic.