A-League: Sydney FC playmaker Milos Ninkovic has eyes on prizes

Milos Ninkovic has put the disappointment of missing out on a lucrative deal behind him.

Sydney FC’s Milos Ninkovic in action against Wellington Phoenix last month.

Milos Ninkovic says he has put the disappointment of missing out on a ­lucrative deal behind him and now has eyes only for helping Sydney FC break their championship drought.

The classy Serbian playmaker was the target of a $1 million offer to join a Qatari club during the ­A-League pre-season and at the time made no secret of the fact he wanted to leave the Sky Blues and take up the life-changing deal.

However, Sydney stood firm and Ninkovic had no alternative but to honour his two-year contract with the club.

He has backed up his words with deeds by spearheading Sydney’s unbeaten five-match opening to the season that has put them five points clear of their nearest ­rivals.

Ninkovic has been the club’s standout player this season and is highly favoured to win this season’s Johnny Warren Medal as the A-League’s best performer.

The 31-year-old was given a ringing endorsement yesterday when his peers named him Professional Footballers Australia’s player of the month.

However, Ninkovic said it had been difficult to accept he could not take up the Qatari deal.

“I want to be honest, it was hard,” Ninkovic said yesterday. “It was a very difficult time for me.

“I had a very good offer ... for a 31-year-old.

“You never know what is going to happen in this game.

“But I have already forgotten about it. I respect the club, the people here. I have one more year contract.’’

Ninkovic said his primary focus now was to help Sydney win the A-League title and FFA Cup. The club has gone without a trophy for six years.

“The good thing is that the offer came in the pre-season and not during the A-League season,” he said.

“I have been able to concentrate on the season and focus on the team and doing well.

“I want to help the club win the title. We have been working hard for that.”

Now in his second year with the Sky Blues, Ninkovic said he had adjusted much better to the A-League.

While he showed glimpses of his class last season, he never really seemed settled and struggled with the pace and physical nature of the game in Australia.

He was also frank in admitting that maybe he was at fault for taking the competition lightly.

“When I first came here I thought it is easy to play in the A-League,” he said. “But it isn’t.

“It is very hard, but I feel more comfortable now. Now I combine better with players like (David) Carney and Milos (Dimitrijevic). There is more understanding.

“I am not surprised how well the team is doing this season because we have worked very hard.”

In an ominous warning to his rivals, Ninkovic said the A-League hadn’t seen the best of Graham Arnold’s team yet.

“This is only five games (into the season),’’ he said.

“There are 20 more to go. If we continue like this we will be OK, but I think we can get much better.

“Last week against Victory ... we can play much better, especially with the ball.”