Man Utd rubbish cash worry claims over Ljajic rejection

Manchester United deny claims their decision to end their deal for Partizan Belgrade starlet Adem Ljajic has nothing to do with finances.

The Independent the Partizan president, Dragan Djuric, said in the Serbian media yesterday that the failure to seal the deal under which 18-year-old Ljajic was to follow former team-mate Zoran Tosic to Old Trafford reflected the fact that "maybe the real problem is that Manchester United is in financial crisis."

United quickly and robustly dismissed that suggestion, insisting that they had not taken up the option to buy the player which they had announced when Tosic arrived last January, because they have spent 12 months monitoring the player and remain unconvinced that he will flourish at Old Trafford. United have always rejected suggestions that the decision to bank, rather than spend, most of the £80m revenue for Cristiano Ronaldo was to do with the club's £700m debt.

United also said that they had better young players emerging through their own ranks than Ljajic, which suggests they are relying on the 20-year-old French winger Gabriel Obertan to be the face of the future with Antonio Valencia on the flanks. The failure of Nani to step up since the departure of Ronaldo has certainly left work to do in that department.