Haber signs 18-month contract with Ferencvaros

Justin Haber ended all speculation regarding his future yesterday after announcing he had agreed to join Ferencvaros on an 18-month contract.

The news was confirmed by the Hungarian club's managing director Dave McCarthy during a conference call in Mellieħa. At present, Ferencvaros are conducting a two-week training camp in Malta.

Haber was on the books of Sheffield United before but struggled to force his way into the first team and only managed to play for the Championship side in the reserves league.

At the start of the current season, Blades manager Kevin Blackwell opted to send Haber on loan to Ferencvaros and the Malta goalkeeper played four matches before a hand injury hampered his progress in Budapest.

Craig Short, the Ferencvaros coach, was still impressed with Haber's contribution and moved quickly to secure his services on a permanent basis till the end of season 2010/11.

"I'm really honoured to be joining Hungary's biggest club," Haber said yesterday.

"The time I've spent at Sheffield United was a very good learning experience for me but I had to play on a regular basis and that was one of the reasons why I felt the need to move elsewhere.

"Things were a little bit unclear after the injury but now that my immediate future has been settled, I'm determined to win my place back in goal. It won't be easy though as I'm competing with Hungary's no.1 keeper at U-21 level."

Ferencvaros will be Haber's sixth foreign club after spells with Dobrudzha (Bulgaria), US Quevilly (France), Virton (Belgium), Haidari (Greece) and Sheffield United (England). He already has his mind set on his immediate objectives.

"I want to regain my place in the national team," Haber said.

"I'm fully focused on that objective and I'm sure that my transfer to Hungary will help me reach my goal. However, my biggest ambition is to become the first Maltese player to win a medal with a foreign team. I feel that Ferencvaros have a good chance to realise this."

A place in Europe looks beyond Ferencvaros at the moment as they are currently 11th with 17 points from 15 matches.

Short, who took over in November, is banking on the experience of players like Haber to build a strong squad.

"In Malta, we're looking to build a strong team spirit and, certainly, players like Justin can help to see our younger players break into the first team," he said.

Ferencvaros will be playing four friendly matches in Malta.

Today, at 6.30 p.m., they face Malta U-21 at the training grounds in Ta' Qali. On Thursday, Ferencvaros will figure in a triangular tournament at the Tedesco Stadium that features Ħamrun and Mosta.

The competition will feature three 45-minute matches with the first match scheduled at 6.30 p.m.

Ferencvaros will cross the channel on Saturday and play against a GFA Select XI at the Gozo Stadium. The other warm-up match will be on Tuesday against Sliema Wanderers, also at the MFA training grounds.