Ukrainian attacker Nazariy Rusyn has revealed he held talks with Aberdeen over a possible move to Pittodrie.
The 26-year-old moved from Sunderland to Hajduk Split on loan in January after falling out of favour at the Black Cats.
But Rusyn, in an interview with FootBoom, said he could have ended up making the move from Sunderland to Aberdeen.
The Ukrainian, who can play as a striker or a winger, moved from Zorya Luhansk to Sunderland on a four-year deal in 2023 but has made only 32 appearances, scoring two goals.
When asked about how his move to Hajduk Split came about, he said: “Since Sunderland’s coaching staff didn’t count on me, I started contacting my agent, Vadym Shablii, in November about making a full move elsewhere or going on loan. I wanted to play football.
“The option to move to Hajduk came up in December, but it dragged on for a bit.
“Then, in January, they asked me, ‘Are you ready to move to Hajduk?’
“I replied: ‘Yes, I want to go.'”
“It’s a great team in Croatia. I didn’t even realize how big it was.
“Like Dynamo or Shakhtar in Ukraine. People here really love this club. The team is fighting for the championship. And the coach is Rino Gattuso. Why not?
“Were other European clubs interested? I spoke to Aberdeen.”
Rusyn coy on future
Hajduk Split hold an option to buy Rusyn in the summer but the attacker is unsure what the future holds.
He added: “We’ll see what happens in the summer. You plan, and God laughs. It’s important that the coach wants me and it’s vital to play as a winger.
“The last time I played in that role was at Zorya, and it’s been almost two years since then.”
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