The Curious Transfer of Adem Ljajic

Manchester United have announced that they will not be pursuing the transfer of Adem Ljajic after agreeing to sign him from Partizan last year.

The official word is one of contradictions.

On one hand it has been said that with the emergence of several youth players and Adem's own lack of improvement, it was felt that he would surplus to requirements. On the other hand, today Mike Phelan, assistant coach at United, said that United would not be taking up their option on him because of work permit issues.

United's behavior towards the kid has been very curious and un-United like, which is slightly worrying. United have a great tradition of bringing through young players, and more importantly, treating them well.

One thing Alex Ferguson and United have never done is give a young boy false hope that they will sign him or he will make it at United. Adem Ljajic though was paraded around in a United shirt, attended several training sessions at Carrington, earned rave reviews from Ferguson, and generally it felt that it was a forgone conclusion that he would sign for United.

Would United have done this if they had doubts about the boy? Probably not. One would have expected them to say something along the lines of, "We have first option to sign Ljajic based on his improvement."

All of United's actions pointed to them being sure of Ljajic's ability, and from reviews it seems he has progressed since last year and not regressed.

So why would United cancel the transfer?

Perhaps he really has regressed. The United scouts have watched him closely, and maybe he just hasn't improved. But Alex Ferguson's comments just a couple of months back suggest that the boy is talented. Also in relation to the youngsters already at the club, well they were there last year as well when Ljajic was "signed."

Perhaps then it really was work permit issues. This seems unlikely though. United were able to secure a work permit for Tosic on the "special talent" rule, and Tosic has made only five substitute appearances. Indications are that Ljajic is more talented than Tosic, so a work permit should not have been a problem.

And finally perhaps it really is the Glazers putting a stop to transfer spending. The debt that has saddled United over the last few years may be catching up to them. Perhaps after seeing big money being spent on players with raw potential such as Nani and Tosic who have yet to make the grade at United, the Glazers feel that spending big money on another youngster with raw potential is too risky.

Money is available though. Fans tend to forget that United did bid big for Benzema and Tevez in the summer, so if Ferguson wants to spend he has the capacity. Ferguson has threatened to quit over less before, so one feels the fact that Ferguson is still there means that he still has complete control.

Whatever the reasons, United's behavior in this transfer has been fairly poor. As stated before United are known for treating youngsters well, and this case is a blot on that record. To make Ljajic feel like a United player and then to pull the plug at the final minute is rather crushing on a young lad. If United were not sure about Ljajic then they should not have paraded him around like a United player.

From United and Alex Ferguson, one would expect better.