Former Tottenham and Newcastle winger Chris Waddle could decide the future of prospective Manchester United signing Zoran Tosic.

The Times says Sir Alex Ferguson will make a personal plea on Friday to try to persuade the Home Office to award a work permit to Tosic, the young Serbia winger. Manchester United have agreed a fee with Partizan Belgrade, believed to be in the region of £8 million, but the 21-year-old does not qualify automatically for a work permit as he is not yet a regular for the national team.

United must make a special application to the Home Office, which will be heard in Sheffield by a panel that is likely to include Chris Waddle, the former England winger.

United's case is not certain to be looked on favourably but Ferguson will make the point that Tosic, who already has 12 caps for his country, is a player of outstanding potential.

In the past, the likes of Michael Essien (Chelsea), John Obi Mikel (Chelsea) and Sulley Muntari (Inter Milan) have been rejected by work permit panels at affordable prices, only to return to England later as established players - and in the process see millions of pounds leave the local game.