zoran tosic

It has been speculated that Zoran Tosic is a player that was bought by Manchester United with his compatriot Adem Ljajic in mind. Ljajic was meant to arrive at Old Trafford this month but the club backed out of the deal after assessing their options and deciding that it would not be possible to get a work permit for the player, though Partizan Belgrade believe that the deal fell through as a result of the club’s financial worries. Ljajic has now signed for Fiorentina but Tosic remains somewhat stranded in Manchester; if indeed he was not the primary object of the initial deal, his role at United now requires clarification.

Tosic has had a minimal impact on the United first team; he has made just a handful of appearances, mainly in the League Cup and has yet to feature in the league this season. Despite the terrible form of Nani and the inconsistency of Obertan, Tosic remains out in the cold as there are still the likes of Giggs, Park and Valencia ahead of him in the pecking order. Despite being a key member of the reserve side, 22-year-old Tosic does not appear to have the backing of his manager; so why doesn’t he try and loan the young Serb out to gain experience.

Tosic is at an age where he really should be playing first-team football in order to develop his game; there is a though that he may be too light-weight for the Premier League, but he has yet to be given an opportunity to show if this is the case or not. While reserve team football has some merits, Tosic would gain more from a loan spell at a struggling Premier League side or even at a high-flying Championship side. Steve McClaren’s FC Twente have shown an interest in the past and this could also be a good move for Tosic in the same way that Chelsea’s Miroslav Stoch has benefitted from his spell at Twente.

There is a strong possibility that Tosic has no long-term future at United, his complete absence from first-team action and the fact that he was omitted from the Champions League squad list in deference to Owen Hargreaves suggest that he does not feature in Sir Alex Ferguson’s plans. However, even if this is the case, United are likely to get a better price for the player if he is sold off the back of an impressive loan spell. Both for the club and the player a short-term move away from the club must be the way forward.