United boss Paul Simpson gave us his reaction to today’s news that Jon Mellish will be with the club until the summer of 2026 having just signed a longer-term deal.
“I’m absolutely delighted that Mells has decided to commit himself to the club,” he said. “It’s brilliant for us because I think he’s been outstanding in my time here.
“I’m really pleased and I think the length of the deal shows our commitment to him and his commitment to us that he’s put his signature on it.
“He’s a player I enjoy working with and in terms of his football development he’s still new to the professional game. I think he’ll keep getting better, I certainly hope that’s the case.
“He’s a player that a lot of clubs talk about, nobody has actually been in for him, but he does get talked about with the way that he’s so unpredictable.
“If we can keep working with him, keep him playing and learning, then I think he can go on to be a really good asset to the team.
“A good attribute he has is that he’s adaptable. I know I’ve just said that he’s got some developing to do on his football intelligence but he does just slot in, whatever he’s asked to do.
“I’m told that he played as a centre forward before I came in, so he has that about him where he will take on any job that’s required.
“He can be very quiet but he’s an enthusiastic footballer and a player who leads by example, as opposed to be being vocal.”
“It’s good that we have another who has committed to us, and hopefully it’ll be the first of a few,” he continued. “We keep chipping away at things like this even though we don’t shout out too much about it.
“We prefer to get it done then let everyone know. I know people can get frustrated, but we really do have a lot going on in the background.
“Outside the club I’m sure there’s a lot of that kind of frustration at the moment but sometimes things take time and we all have to be patient.
“Jon is another example to us of that because we’ve been talking to him since before the end of the season about him staying here longer, and we’ve got there now.
“We want the best for the club, the players and agents want the best for them, so we keep chipping away and, like I say, hopefully there’ll be more news like this soon.”
