Dusan Tadic's Father Says Ajax Star Turned Down Manchester United Move

Dusan Tadic's father has said he was disappointed in 2014 when his son chose to play for Southampton over Manchester United. 

Petar Tadic told Voetbal International (h/t Naveen Ullal of Sport Witness) he "loves" the Red Devils, and wanted his son to move to Old Trafford from FC Twente when the forward left the Dutch side.

Now captain of Ajax, Tadic opted to play for Ronald Koeman over Louis van Gaal, disappointing his father.

"Dusan could go to Manchester United and Southampton. I wanted him to go to Manchester, to Louis van Gaal. But Dusan wanted to go to Ronald Koeman. We couldn't work it out together.

"Manchester United have always been a top club. I was a fan of Bobby Charlton, George Best, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes. ... They have always had top players. Even now things are going less well, I still love Manchester United.

"That's why I was really mad at Dusan. We talked about it all evening, but in the end, Dusan said he would choose Southampton anyway."

Tadic displayed flashes of brilliance with the Saints during a four-year spell in the Premier League, but his reputation exploded after joining Ajax in 2018.

The 31-year-old has since become the club's skipper and a lethal goalscorer in the Eredivisie.

Tadic scored 34 goals in the league and Europe last season when Ajax won the Dutch title and reached the UEFA Champions League semi-final.

Southampton have been a significant stepping stone for a number of players who have excelled at the top level in recent times.

Sadio Mane and Virgil van Dijk developed into potential stars at St Mary's Stadium, and Gareth Bale was a product of Southampton's successful academy.

Tadic scored the only goal for Southampton when they defeated United 1-0 at Old Trafford in 2015.

The Serb has always been an excellent facilitator on the pitch, but his development into a ruthless finisher has emerged late in his career.

Tadic remains in excellent form this term, scoring seven goals and providing 12 assists in the Eredivisie, with the champions top of the division.