ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE: NEMANJA VIDIC'S apparent desire to leave Manchester United at the end of the season has brought him to the attention of AC Milan, the club's opponents in the last 16 of the Champions League.
The Serie A side have identified the centre-half as a summer target and have been encouraged by their initial inquiries after speaking to several intermediaries, all of whom have reported the Serbia international is looking for a move, contrary to what he has stated in public.
One idea that has been mooted at San Siro is to offer Klaas-Jan Huntelaar as the bait in a player-plus-cash exchange although it is unclear whether United would have any interest in the Holland international, who was one of Europe’s more prolific strikers at Ajax but has failed to reproduce that form since leaving The Netherlands, initially to Real Madrid before a €12 million move to Milan last August.
Vidic has repeatedly denied being unsettled at Old Trafford, having served the club with distinction since signing from Spartak Moscow four years ago, as well as expressing surprise about reports that his wife, Ana, has not embraced life in Manchester and would like to leave England.
He was interviewed in the latest edition of the Red Newsfanzine and complained that the stories had no basis. "My wife doesn't have the place to say she is not happy," he said. "I never said it as well. That means stupid things are going on. You can't stop some of the things. Last year I think I had a good year and when some players play well, obviously [there is speculation] they are going somewhere."
However, his colleagues at United have been told something different and it is now being discussed openly among the other players. Alex Ferguson also believes that Vidic’s mind might be made up, the manager reputedly telling colleagues that United’s player of the year last season “does not want to hang around”.
It was confirmed yesterday that Owen Hargreaves has been left out of Manchester United’s 25-man Champions League squad.
The move almost certainly ends any chance the midfielder had of forcing his way into England’s World Cup squad and raises fresh doubts over his chances of making a full recovery from double knee surgery in October 2008.
Guardian Service
