Adem Ljajic: Manchester United's Loss, Fiorentina's Gain

Going back 12 months, Manchester United had confirmed the signings of Adem Ljajic and Zoran Tosic from FK Partizan Belgrade, in a deal reported to be worth around £16.3 million for the duo.

Both players were considered to become superstars in the game, with 17-year-old wonderkid Adem Ljajic continuing his development back in Serbia on-loan, before joining up with the Premier League champions in January 2010.

Zoran Tosic stayed at United, and graced the Premier Reserve League, before starting 2009-2010 with more minutes on the bench than Federico Macheda or Danny Welbeck.

Adem Ljajic, however, continued to impress in Serbia and was living up to his nickname, "Little Kaka."

He gained UEFA Champions League experience, featured regularly for the Serbia U-21 team, and was looking as if he could seriously begin to emulate the likes of Real Madrid playmaker Kaka.

However, the coaching staff at Old Trafford disagreed, and decided against the option of signing Ljajic, citing issues obtaining a work permit.

Of course, for a player who has attracted interest from the likes of Inter Milan as a 16-year-old, Manchester United was never going to be the only option available to him.

And thus, despite reported offers from Russian Premier League giants like CSKA Moscow and Rubin Kazan, Ljajic has hit the jackpot and looks set to embrace the wonders of Serie A and La Viola.

Subject to passing a medical, Fiorentina look set to sign the Serbian star for a fee of around £7.1 million.

So, what could Fiorentina be getting for their money?

First of all, he'll be another quality player to add to the ranks as La Viola embark on a quest to improve on sixth place in Serie A and reach the quarterfinals of the Champions League, after they play Bayern Munich of the Bundesliga in the last 16.

Secondly, linking up with the likes of Stevan Jovetic (a future superstar in World Football), Ljajic will add more energy to the team and can get the game flowing with his pace and forward runs through the middle.

Thirdly, this lad has a good shot on him. He isn't called the "Little Kaka" for nothing; give him the ball from a distance and he could well create something special.

He has scored some brilliant goals in Serbia for Partizan Belgrade, and given enough playing time, there could definitely be plenty more where they came from.

Lastly, like a lot of upcoming attacking midfielders, Ljajic has an eye for a pass, and dissect opposition defences with a calculated ball through to the attacker. This could come in useful for the likes of Adrian Mutu and Alberto Gilardino.

A year ago, it was FC Barcelona and Inter Milan's loss for not faxing a bid in sooner, as Manchester United acted quick to snap up Serbia's next big star.

Today, it's Manchester United's loss for not keeping the player by sending him out on-loan again.

And also today, it's Fiorentina's gain, as La Viola can boast Stevan Jovetic and now Adem Ljajic as two future superstars in World Football.

It may not seem like a big deal now, but two or three months down the line when the Serie A side are in the semifinals of the Champions League and Manchester United are out of yet another competition, it might then sink in for Sir Alex Ferguson et al that they're the ones who've lost a real talent in this sport.

Twelve months ago, this writer predicted big things for Adem Ljajic.