Western Sydney Wanderers head coach Alen Stajcic says reported interest from Scottish club Aberdeen in Nicolas Milanovic is “irrelevant” as the star Wanderers striker focuses solely on firing his side deep into the Isuzu UTE A-League Finals Series.
Milanovic is one goal behind Golden Boot leaders Adrian Segecic and Archie Goodwin with one game left to play before the Finals Series; the Wanderers are headed back to the post-season in Stajcic’s first season in charge of the club and can still finish as high as second on the table thanks to Melbourne City’s goalless draw with Adelaide United on Saturday night.
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The Wanderers are two points off City with one game to play; finishing second would guarantee Stajcic’s side a week off to begin the Finals Series, and a place in the two-legged Semi-Finals.
Milanovic didn’t add to his tally of 12 goals for the season on Saturday night but was a key contributor to Western Sydney’s 1-0 win over Newcastle Jets.
After the game, Milanovic was asked about the reported links overseas, and whether it’s impacting his mentality heading into the Finals Series.
“Look, to be honest, I’m focused here,” Milanovic told Network 10.
“I’ve got another game here and finals, so I want to do my best here and whatever happens after, happens after.
“Last year I had interest too, so I’ve been dealing with that now for a year and a half. You put it in the back of your head because you love to play football, and when you get out here, it all goes away.”
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Wanderers head coach Stajcic echoed the thoughts of his in-form striker when asked about the reported interest in Milanovic’s signature.
“There’s been strong links for Milo for 12 months, hasn’t there?” Stajcic said.
“Nothing’s been 100% signed off on for him, he’s going through different processes at the moment but at the moment, it’s sort of irrelevant for our team and for him. He’s got to focus on the now, and he’s been in that mode since Round 1.
“There was obviously a lot of speculation on him going before the season started, so he’s carried the weight of those rumours and innuendos for a long time. And I think he’s just shown, throughout the season but also tonight, that he can play under that kind of, it’s not pressure, but scrutiny and pressure around that kind of stuff.
“He’s just got to focus on the now, and at the end of the season, everything will look after itself. “
The Wanderers face Macarthur Bulls on Saturday, May 3 in the final round of the 2024-25 regular season.
