Ultimatum gives Sir Alex something of a transfer dilemma

Risking the wrath of Sir Alex Ferguson, Serbian international Zoran Tošić has publicly spoken of his frustration at failing to break into the first-team at Old Trafford. The winger, currently on loan at Bundesliga outfit at FC Köln, has expressed his dissatisfaction at the uncertainty clouding his Manchester United career. Having impressed since his temporary move to Germany, there will be no shortage of Teutonic suitors should Tošić wish to depart Old Trafford, with Bayer Leverkusen, Werder Bremen and Borussia Dortmund all rumoured to be preparing offers for the player.

Arriving from Partizan Belgrade with compatriot Adem Llajic for a combined fee of £16m in January 2009, high hopes were held for the player tipped to be Ryan Giggs’ long-term successor down the left-flank. Sir Alex even personally appeared at Tošić’s work permit hearing, indicating the lengths the Manchester United manager went to in order to get his man. Having unimpressed in five outings for the first-team, Tošić was demoted to the reserve team and then sent to FC Köln in January of this year. With the player clearly eager to resolve his future Sir Alex will soon have a decision to make, but should the Manchester United manager be readying himself to cut his losses on a player who arrived amidst such fanfare less than 18 months ago?

Admittedly, Tošić’s early performances did little to justify Manchester United’s hefty outlay, but this was understandable given his move from a vastly inferior league. Having bulked up, Tošić is now likely to be more physically-suited to the nature of the Premier League, and his performances for both the reserve team and FC Köln have shown signs that he may be ready to make the step-up to the first-team again at Old Trafford. In Germany, the Serbian has notched five goals in just 12 appearances, impressing in various positions across FC Köln’s midfield. Left-footed, Tošić is the only winger in the squad aside from Giggs who can naturally patrol Manchester United’s left-flank, and his new-found versatility means that he could be utilised successfully in both 4-4-2 and 4-3-3 formations.

Ferguson is generally considered to be a sound judge of player, and at present, the omens do not look good for the 23-year-old. United have a wealth of players capable of manning their wings, with Giggs, Antonio Valencia, Gabriel Obertan and Nani all currently preferred to the Serbian. If United’s mooted summer move for Spanish international David Silva materialises it seems likely that Tošić will fall further down the pecking order.

However, having seen Spanish starlet Gerard Pique flourish at Barcelona since his move away from Manchester, Ferguson will be eager to prevent another prospect from leaving Old Trafford prematurely. Tošić is likely to feature prominently for the Serbian national side this summer, but it remains to be seen whether the winger will be able to use the World Cup as an opportunity to put himself in the shop window, or as a final chance to prove himself to his manager.