Hampden call-up for Safranko but he could have had shorter trip

Former Dundee United frontman Pavol Safranko will be in Scotland this weekend but he had hoped to have been here sooner.

The striker, who plays with Sepsi in Romania, will be in the Slovakia squad that faces Steve Clarke’s men in a Nations League ma tch a t Hampden tomorrow (see pages 66 and 67).

H o w e v e r, he has revealed he could have already been back at Tannadice.

T he former United striker wanted a return before the transfer window shut and is still keen to be in tangerine when it reopens in January.

Safranko said: “I still miss Scotland. In the transfer window that closed this week I was really close to coming back to Dundee United.

“Unfortunately, the clubs couldn’t come to an agreement.

“I understood Sepsi wanted a certain fee that was be yond United ’s budget.

“My hope was they could meet in the middle but it didn’t happen.

“I’ ll be s t ay i n g in Romania until winter but maybe in January the chance will come again.

“I miss United. It’s a

club that has a place in my heart and I try to watch every game on TV.

“I stay in touch with players like Benji Siegrist, Jamie Robson and Nicky Clark, plus the sporting director Tony Asghar and some s t a f f ,” added Safranko.

“After I left United I always said I would go back one day.

“I enjoyed my football there – it was one of the happiest seasons of my career.

“I still believe a permanent deal could have been done at the time but my old club Aa lborg wanted a horrendous fee.

“If they had been willing to ask a lower price it could have been done.”

Safranko was called into the Slovakia squad last Monday by boss Pavel Hapal after striker Michal Duris suffered concussion playing for Omonia Nicosia.

He added: “It was a nice surprise to be called back into the squad.

“I had scored twice in four games for Sepsi but it was still something I didn’t expect to happen.

“Slovakia have had a difficult start in the Nations League but we are coming to Scotland aiming to do well.”

Pavol Safranko: Decribes his time at Tannadice as one of the happiest seasons of his career.