Andrew Sheridan has signed a new deal with Sale Sharks © Getty Images

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Players/Officials: Andrew Sheridan

Tournaments/Tours: Aviva Premiership

Teams: England | Sale Sharks

Andrew Sheridan has handed Sale Sharks a major boost by agreeing a new one-year deal at Edgeley Park.

The England loose-head was widely tipped to leave the Premiership at the end of the season in order to take up a lucrative deal in France, but he has committed his immediate future to the Sharks in the wake of a management shake-up that saw former coach Steve Diamond return to the club as executive director of sport.

Diamond recruited Sheridan from Bristol in 2003 and the 31-year-old has gone on to rack up 100 appearances for the Sharks, as well as winning 36 England caps and two for the the British & Irish Lions.

His re-signing is particularly significant given recent confirmation that influential fly-half Charlie Hodgson will quit Sale at the end of the current campaign in order to undertake a new challenge at Saracens.

"I am very pleased Andrew has re-signed for the club," Diamond said. "I remember watching him develop as a player and knew he was going to be one of the best as his career progressed.

"I have followed his progress with interest and am looking to build a team around Sherri and Mark Cueto, who has also been a loyal servant to the club down the years."

Sharks CEO Mick Hogan added: "Inevitably there was a lot of interest in his signature and I do know that he has turned down some big offers from a number of other clubs. He is one of the best prop forwards in the world and we are thrilled he has made this commitment to stay with us."

A move to France could have seen Sheridan fall foul of the RFU's decision to not select players plying their trade overseas after this year's World Cup in New Zealand, but his new deal effectively secures his international future until next summer.