Ferguson wary of foreign loans

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson admits that he remains cautious about sending his young players on loan to foreign clubs.

Several United players have suffered some bad experiences in recent seasons, which Ferguson says has made him question whether to continue doing so.

Federico Macheda found his opportunities limited at Sampdoria due to the sacking of the manager, Domenico Di Carlo, who had originally loaned him, while Joshua King’s spell at Borussia Moenchengladbach was terminated prematurely.

Despite the close of the transfer window, English lower league clubs are able to loan players from their Premier League counterparts from Saturday.

“Very few of our young players go abroad on loan,” Ferguson told the club’s official website.

“We had Federico Macheda go to Sampdoria and he was only there a week and they sacked the coach. It ended up being a nightmare for him and he never got a game.

“I think it’s better that the ones that go on loan go to the Barclays Premier League or the Championship. By doing that, we can have regular contact and see them every week. We get them watched all the time. That’s the process by which we work under.”

Fabio, Reece Brown, John Cofie, Ben Amos and Sean McGinty are currently on loan at other English clubs, while Luke Giverin and Gyliano van Velzen have joined Belgian side Royal Antwerp, a traditional partner of the 19-time league champions.