Teenager who handed MU famous defeat faces registration nightmare at new club

Manchester United fans will remember Roony Bardghji from scoring the winning goal in Copenhagen's famous 4-3 victory over the Red Devils in the Champions League two seasons ago

New Barcelona signing Roony Bardghji is still yet to be registered by the cash-strapped club seven weeks after joining them. Bardghji, 19, signed for Barca from Danish giants Copenhagen, where he made his name as one of the most talked-about wonderkids in Scandinavian football.

Bardghji's biggest moment came against Manchester United during the Champions League group stage in November 2023. After United blew a 3-2 lead in the Danish capital, contributing to the Red Devils' early exit that season, the Sweden youth international came off the bench and scored a stunning goal to win the game for Copenhagen.

A serious knee injury kept Bardghji out for most of last season, returning in March after 334 days on the sidelines. Barcelona snapped him up in July, yet their financial problems have led to a tumultuous start to his career in Catalunya.

Due to La Liga's salary cap rules, Barca have struggled to register players, as they've needed to offload first. Club chiefs recently took advantage of a rule which allows them to use some of injured captain Marc-Andre ter Stegen's wages in order to sign-off on players.

After Ter Stegen agreed to the move following an ugly dispute with Barcelona officials, United loanee Marcus Rashford and new goalkeeper Joan Garcia were registered the day before their opening game of the season at Mallorca, a 3-0 win. No new players were registered in time for last Sunday's 3-2 victory over Levante.

But this week, ahead of Barca's third league game away to Rayo Vallecano on Sunday, the departures of Oriol Romeu and Inaki Pena have allowed Wojciech Szczesny and Gerard Martin - two players who were regulars in Hansi Flick's squad last term - to finally be registered. That leaves Bardghji as the only exception.

The Kuwait-born winger has been linked with a loan move before the summer transfer window closes on Monday, although he's stated his determination to stay and become a key part of Flick's squad, having been given the No.19 shirt. "I hope I can stay at Barcelona for many years and perhaps for my entire career," Bardghji recently told Marca.

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"I'll do everything I can to make this happen. I hope I can leave the legacy of my predecessors like Henrik Larsson or Zlatan Ibrahimovic. My team-mates have been really good; they’ve looked after me well, I'm enjoying every day as a Barcelona player.

"I always try to play the same way, with the same philosophy that Barca has always had, and Hansi's style suits me very well. Honestly, I feel at home."