PHOENIX have agreed a new three-year contract extension with Tony Hand.

The new deal, in addition to the one year remaining on his current agreement, will keep the 43-year-old player coach in Manchester until 2015.

Hand, who led Phoenix to the English Premier League title as top points scorer and player-of-the-year, will play on for at least one more season but has the option to hang up his skates whenever he sees fit.

“This is great news for the future of Manchester Phoenix,” said club owner Neil Morris.

“Tony Hand is the best signing I’ve ever made for this club.

“He has the ability to find quality players season after season and get the best out of them as a team.

“He’s still the best British player out there and I’d probably include the Elite League in that as well.

“We work well together and get on extremely well.

“Tony is a man you can trust and I’m sorry to say that you can’t find many people like that in this game.”

Hand is in the process of re-signing players from last season and identifying new talent to build on the title success of last season.

“I’m very happy with the way things are going,” he said. “You want to improve the team each year and you need to find the right players for the positions you have to fill.

“I’ve had a lot of emails from agents with players who are looking for work and it’s my job to go through them all and find the right people for Manchester Phoenix.”