Magpies’ Rossi loan swoop ‘a waste of time’

ALEX FERGUSON has branded Giuseppe Rossi’s loan spell at Newcastle as a wasted exercise.

Rossi was allowed to join the Magpies to further his footballing education, with Ferguson believing he would be a regular member of Glenn Roeder’s squad.

Instead, the promising 19-year-old has made just six Premiership appearances and four of those were as a late substitute.

Rossi has not been seen in league combat since completing the full 90 minutes in the home defeat to Sheffield United on November 4. And, with his own striking resources stretched to breaking point, Ferguson will call time on the Italian Under-21 star’s spell in England’s north-east at the beginning of next month.

“Giuseppe will come back to us because he is just not getting enough football at Newcastle,” said Ferguson.

“The understanding we had with them was that he would play more games. Every manager is subject to their own opinions on players, so I don’t want to say too much about that. But we could have done with him here, so he might as well come back to us.”

Having decided to pursue no more striking options now that Henrik Larsson’s arrival has been secured, Ferguson will instead concentrate on strengthening his midfield when the transfer window opens next month.

Another bid for Owen Hargreaves is possible, even though the England international has suffered a setback in his recovery from a broken leg.

“We are not sitting on our backsides,” Ferguson said of United’s transfer situation. “There could be another development.”

As for Hargreaves? “I don’t know what the situation is,” he said. “I have read some things about his injury but you never usually get the full story that way. Besides, I don’t want to upset those poor Germans. They are very fragile.”