United drop Ljajic

Stuart Mathieson

December 03, 2009

YOUNG Serbian teenager Adem Ljajic has been told his Manchester United dream is over.

The Reds have stunned Partizan Belgrade hopeful Ljajic by pulling out of his agreed £9m transfer.

Midfielder Ljajic, 18, was part of the package agreed with the Serbian club last January that brought Zoran Tosic to England.

While Tosic joined the Reds immediately, his young colleague - said to be the more exciting half of the duo - remained with Partizan to further his footballing education.

United continued to monitor Ljajic with his club and Serbia's Under-21s and he also travelled to Manchester for training sessions at United's Carrington training HQ. But after scrutinising the teenage hopeful for 12 months, United's coaching staff have decided he is no better than the young midfielders already on the books.

What do you think? Have your say.

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A Manc and blue (03/12/2009 at 09:00)

This is not the wholse story. Partizan Belgrade have said it is because Nited do not have the funds. This it what is coming out of Partizan. To be honest we have been saying it for years!

Bill Wirral (03/12/2009 at 09:07)

Fair comment as far as I am concerned as we do have some very exciting talent coming through. It is another thing of course if any of them realise their potential in time to come. I am sure some will but if Ljajic turns out to the best of them all then so be it. At the moment though it is unlikely according to the coaching staff and they know better than me.

bobbydazzler (03/12/2009 at 09:09)

cant wait to hear what the pravda boys have to say.

Scholsey passed me the ball... (03/12/2009 at 09:34)

Surprising - but Fergie obviously doesn't rate Tosic much either. Perhaps the deal could be put down to new-year high spirits.

Monkey tennis?, yes please (03/12/2009 at 09:42)

Well that's a turn up for the books isn't it... and does it spell the end for Tosic... or does it mean we've got someone else lined up instead?
Anyone else been following Ljajic to know if he's been a bit average????

Deckster, U.K. (03/12/2009 at 09:55)

Very disappointed by this news and equally disappointed that we've seen little to nothing of Tosic over the course of the past year. He'll probably be sold along with Nani in January

Drago 34 (03/12/2009 at 10:08)

Hearing this news has made me think that there is 1 of 2 reasons for this. 1: Fergie's seen him up close and does'nt rate him.So he belives the money will be better spent elsewhere.It could well be that we have another player lined up for January in Marek Hamsik of Napoli as United have been scouting him all season and he can play in the Champions League.2: We have no money.Personally i belive we have someone else lined up for January.

Roy (03/12/2009 at 10:09)

Are we starting to witness the full consequence of the Glazer takeover?

stevi, france (03/12/2009 at 10:10)

well he certainly isn't better than anything we're already got so it would be a waste of money....

Roy (03/12/2009 at 10:15)

And to add to what T&c said a couple of weeks back, I do expect a clearout in Jan/ the summer. Loans too to trim the wage bill. One other thought - why should SAF stick around if Man United are entering an era of "prudence"? I hope I am wrong but add this news to the summer buys and you can forget about the spending of the Ronaldo 80m.

Robbo, N2409, M16 (03/12/2009 at 10:31)

This is astonishing. Absolutely astonishing. A matter of weeks ago, Fergie called him the 'star' of the U-19 Euros and was looking forward to his arrival.

Let's face it, we're skint.

Johnniejohn, Tunbridge Wells (03/12/2009 at 10:31)

Since 2005, it has been sell to buy, since this summer it has been sell to raise money. The Ronaldo money available to SAF???? Yeah right. Problem for SAF is he got in bed with the Glazers so not a lot he can say now. Obviously he is not supping with a long enough spoon!

edinburgh red, edinburgh (03/12/2009 at 10:36)

Strange one this kid is highly rated and 442 put his future worth at about 50million after we had signed him,obviously havent seen him play but our scouting staff aren't up too much and the midfielder we have the now are pretty average so if he is worse he must be pants.

Alias Smith, over the moon (03/12/2009 at 10:38)

bobbyd, either 1) we don't rate the boy as better than what's already at the club, 2) we have someone else lined up instead, or 3) we are skint.

I doubt it's reason 3, but no doubt you firmly believe it is.

Duncan, London (03/12/2009 at 10:41)

Time to create a few more effigies. Glazers out.

Harris ex-crumpsallite now sweden, Sweden (03/12/2009 at 10:44)

Very puzzling. It could be money restrictions, although I cannot imagine SAF accepting that if he really rated the guy. More likely that SAF is thinking short term, ie no longer than his time left at OT and does not think Ljajic will develop quickly enough in English football. He is only 18 and seems v.lightweight, but on the other hand look at Modric.

Sam Davis (03/12/2009 at 10:50)

Truth is we had never heard of him or Tosic before being linked with United and if he did not progress to the point of making an impact on the coaching staff then so be it. Paying 10 mil for an unproven kid was always going to be a reach anyway and having Morrison who is younger and Gibson who is older in front of him meant a long wait for him similar to Tosic. He probably just does not have the wow factor and in these economic times you just don't throw around 10 mil on a hope and a promise of tomorrow.

Robbo, N2409, M16 (03/12/2009 at 10:51)

Whatever the reasons for this, in pulling out at the last minute, the club are acting like wide boy estate agents. To dump a young player like this, having paraded him in a Utd shirt, and endlessly talked him up, is completely disgraceful.

bobbydazzler, if I remember correctly, t&c pronounced Llajic as an outstanding prospect at the Euro U19s - one of the stars of the tournament. No doubt, he'll be hastily revising his opinion to toe the party line.

tooth&claw, manchester (03/12/2009 at 10:55)

Valencia, Giggs, Park, Obertan, Nani, Tosic plus Welbeck, Gibson, Fletcher, Anderson and Hargreaves. We're overloaded with players who can play wide. So you'd have to say at the very least it would have been one-in one-out. Given that Ljajic probably won't get a work permit as he's only an under-21 for a country that isn't top ranked, he'd be the obvious one to lose out. Shame if it's true, because I think he's a decent player but we have time on our hands. If he progresses to senior honours and qualifies for a permit, we can buy him then, albeit for a lot more money.

tooth&claw, manchester (03/12/2009 at 10:57)

Roy, you misrepresent what I said. I AM predicting a clearout and an emphasis on youth but only if we win the league and certainly not as a cost-cutting exercise. I think SAF will want to build one more great team from the raw materials he has in the reserves and academy.

tooth&claw, manchester (03/12/2009 at 10:59)

Robbo, you'd be astonished too if we signed a player for £10m and then he couldn't get a work permit and had to stay in Belgrade.

Robbo, N2409, M16 (03/12/2009 at 11:17)

None of this makes sense. In fact, it absolutely stinks.

1. What's the press office nonsense about an 'option' to buy? This was announced last January as a nailed on signing. He was paraded in a Utd shirt with Tosic, Vidic, Fergie, Giggs etc. Why parade someone in a shirt if you only have an 'option'?

2. The idea he's not developed as hoped is equally ridiculous. According to Serbian Utd fans on another forum, he's been playing really well for both club and country.

3. Again, according to the press office, we already have 'better' players in his position? Well, Ronaldo's gone, Giggs is 36, Nani and Tosic can't get a game, Park is rubbish/injury-prone, Obertan completely unproven... The idea we don't have room for a creative midfielder/wide player is total and utter nonsense. It's what we need!

4. Utd have announced this hastily, after newspaper leaks, a mere FOUR weeks before his arrival. If we were merely declining an option, surely it would have been handled in a more transparent and dignified fashion. Llajic's agent says he knows nothing about the transfer collapsing. So what on earth's going on?

Roy (03/12/2009 at 11:25)

T&c, I wasn't misrepresenting you as much as acknowledging you mentioning the clear-out first. Linking to tight budgets is my suggestion only.

There have been reports of cost-cutting among the staff, talk of delaying contract renewals and now this. If United are entering tough times financially we'll know soon enough.

Brian, Brussels (03/12/2009 at 11:27)

If there is a clearout lets hope Park & Berbatov are at the head of the queue but I doubt it. This makes the Tosic signing not to mention Berbatov even more astonishing. I suspect the Glazers have severe liquidity problems.

red (03/12/2009 at 11:37)

good. let's get some local talent in the team and a few latinos to give us a bit of flair. the eastern euro style stinks.

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