Manchester United reject Zoran Tosic prepares to return to Manchester with a vengeance
Vengeance: Zoran Tosic is thriving at CSKA Moscow and poses a threat to Manchester City
A broad smile crosses Zoran Tosic's face as the glorious aura of Old Trafford beckons. Slowly marching towards him is Cristiano Ronaldo, the hero, the legend he aspires so dearly to emulate.
Ronaldo departs to a standing ovation and the clock reads "71:32". 18 minutes and 28 seconds remain for Tosic to assert an indelible reminder of his grand talent and promise. 18 minutes and 28 seconds to kick-start a career he hopes to be as successful as that of the legend he has just replaced. Tosic, not by arrogance, mind, aspired for big things in football.
This cameo debut was encouraging at the most, comprising of a couple of notable contributions - a deft chip intended for Wayne Rooney and a slick no-look pass into Carlos Tevez’s path.
But Tosic would not reach the heights predicted for him by those at Manchester United. They don't regard his arrogance, ego or persona as the problem. If any, just his indomitable desire to make it big, somewhere.
It seems that this somewhere has turned out to be CSKA Moscow, where the much- vaunted Serb is thriving. He prepares to return to Manchester on Wednesday in CSKA's UEFA Champions League Group E clash at the Etihad Stadium with a vengeance.
An exciting prospect
For Tosic, the sense of unjust is predominantly on the basis of the dearth of opportunities given to him in his days in England to assess the genius so valued at CSKA, a club which seems to revere his mercurial brilliance. The Serbian winger appeared in a United shirt on a mere five instances, all from the subsitutes's bench, totaling a mere 75 minutes representing the club he claims he grew up in Yugoslavia adoring.
Tosic did, however, excel in United's reserve setup, though endeavouring without success to capture the attention of Sir Alex Ferguson. The loan move to Cologne as he strived for regular first-time football is not one that he neccesarily regrets.
It is the one after that, the permanent move to CSKA, which evokes a sense of what could have been in Tosic. Perhaps the virtues of patience and resilience were marginalised at a club of such quality as United, the Serb admits to pondering.
Perhaps he should have waited longer, long enough to be present for the United post-Ronaldo - the Portuguese star had represented a considerable stumbling block to Tosic's progress and recognition as the face of the team’s attack. Had it not been for the Portuguese, perhaps Tosic would now have been a long-serving poster-boy at United.
"It all happened really quickly as I played for just 18 months with Partizan Belgrade,” he explained. “We won the league and the cup and there was a period when it seemed like I was scoring in every match.
"It was at that point I signed for Manchester United. It was such an exciting moment to go there and to meet Sir Alex (Ferguson). I had grown up as a United fan so to be working for the man who had brought so much success to the club was just unbelievable.However, there is a big difference between the Serbian and English league and when I arrived in Manchester I discovered I was not yet ready for that level.
"I spoke with Sir Alex many times and he kept telling me I had quality and just had to keep working hard. But I wanted to play more games so went to Cologne in Germany on loan and had a great six months there. When I came back to Manchester I was expecting to play more games for United but it didn't happen.
"In the end I wasn't sure I was going to get the chance I felt I deserved so decided to change club. Even now I am always thinking about that moment. Maybe I shouldn't have been so quick and should have worked longer to show Sir Alex.
"Maybe I should have stayed and fought for my place. This was Man United after all."
Thriving at CSKA
It has, though, ended up decently for the eager 27 year-old. Ensconced at CSKA, Tosic, after a long and arduous search from the depths of Yugoslavia, has discovered his home in the Russian capital, preparing to return to his earlier home of Manchester on Wednesday evening as a developed player, and more importantly, a grand threat to City's fragile European ambitions of vast splendour.
With 33 goals in 150 games and an array of creative, innovative and skilled assists, Tosic has surpassed the impressive form of 18 goals in 61 matches for one of his native Serbia's most venerated clubs which convinced Sir Alex Ferguson to expend £7 million on acquiring his gilded services in January 2011, at the age of 21, from Partizan Belgrade, also the place to have churned out Lazar Markovic, Liverpool's promising winger.
He is too an established Serbia international now, and head coach Dick Advocaat's principal attacking asset alongside Southampton's DunsanTadic and Markovic. Although boasting 9 goals in 60 appearances for his nation, Tosic's brilliance is crucially pivotal to the renewed optimism in Serbia over a viable qualification into the 2016 European Championship.
In essence, Tosic represents a ray of light to his country and for CSKA at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday evening as he prepares to return to Manchester with a vengeance.
