Ferencvaros manager Short offers Haber permanent deal
Goalkeeper determined to fight his way back into national team
Goalkeeper Justin Haber is considering an offer to rejoin Hungarian club Ferencvaros on a one-year deal.
Haber had a short loan spell with Ferencvaros earlier this season but returned to Sheffield United last month as the top league in Hungary stopped or the winter break in late November.
Keen to secure first-team football to reignite his career at club and international level, Haber is leaning towards a permanent move to Ferencvaros who are owned by Sheffield United chairman Kevin McCabe.
"Craig Short, Ferencvaros's new manager, wants me to join the club for good," Haber told The Times from his Sheffield residence.
"My agent (Carly Barnes) is due to meet the manager and Sheffield United officials to discuss the proposal."
Short was appointed manager of Ferencvaros last month. The former Blackburn Rovers and Sheffield United defender had been in temporary charge of the Hungarian team since the sacking of Bobby Davidson in November.
Despite the short duration of his loan stint with Ferencvaros, Haber enjoyed his time with the club.
"Ferencvaros are the most prestigious and successful club in Hungary and also have a distinguished history in European football," Haber said.
"I went to Ferencvaros to play top-level football on a regular basis. I was somewhat unlucky as I suffered a minor injury initially but I was still involved in a number of league matches, including the derby against Ujpest. In my career, I've not seen a bigger rivalry than that between Ferencvaros and Ujpest."
Ferencvaros have won a record 28 Hungarian league titles, the last in 2004, and currently lie 11th in the 16-team league table with 17 points from 15 matches.
For several years, Haber had been regarded as an automatic choice for the national team but his international career has stalled in recent months as a result of his dearth of regular football with Sheffield United and the emergence of Andrew Hogg, the Valletta goalkeeper.
After losing the no.1 jersey, Haber was left out of the squad for Malta's last two World Cup Group One qualifiers as new coach John Buttigieg chose the experienced Mario Muscat to provide cover for Hogg.
His exclusion from Malta's last international matches hurt Haber who, by his own admission, loves to represent his country but the 8-year-old is prepared to fight for his place.
"The national team means so much to me and I think I've proved this throughout the years," Haber said.
"I have been out of the squad for the last few matches but I'm determined to do my best to regain my place.
This is another reason why I'm carefully evaluating my options because I want to play regularly to improve my chances of returning to the national team's fold."
Training camp
Ferencvaros are set to hold their winter training camp in Malta for the second year running. During their one-week stay here in February last year, Ferencvaros also played a friendly match against a Maltese selection.
Ferencvaros will resume training after the winter break on January 12. They are expected to travel to Malta for the training camp in the final week of this month.