Adelaide United coach Josep Gombau says the club will weigh up its options before committing to sending teen star Awer Mabil to Europe for a trial.

Reports emerged last week Ajax Amsterdam had contacted the Reds to invite the speedster to try his luck with the Dutch giant.

Gombau revealed United had responded to the initial request seeking further information about the Dutch champions’ intentions for Mabil, with Gombau loath to send the 19-year-old “just in case”.

The Reds’ coach said Ajax would need to demonstrate just how keen they are, even outlining if there was a potential contract on offer, before United would send Mabil to Holland to trial.

“The situation in this moment is that they contact with us and they ask for permission to go and now we replied to them and we want to know exactly which intentions they have,” Gombau said.

“To go and make a trial is easy – what we want to know is if it is real interest and if it’s like this we will prepare the player to go – (a contract), something like this.

“Just to send a kid, just in case is not our idea. Our idea is that if he goes there or to another place it’s because they know him very well and they really want to see him.”

Gombau said if the interest was deemed serious enough, there could be a possibility of Mabil spending time with Ajax during the A-League’s three-week hiatus for the Asian Cup in January.

The United tactician has already pencilled in a week’s break for his squad during this time and said it could provide Mabil with the perfect opportunity to trial and not disrupt his Reds’ season.

“This year is something special; we have this gap, three weeks where we don’t play A-League,” Gombau said.

“The players know from the start that they will have one week off for all the team.

“If they (Ajax) are serious and the player can go in this one week and keep training and don’t lose his performance, it’s something nice.

“If the gap is not here, I don’t think me, like a coach would allow a player to leave in the middle of the season and go to make a trial.”

Just when is the right time for a young gun to try crack the big time in Europe has always been the subject of plenty of debate and Gombau added his thoughts to the matter after United’s 2-1 win over Melbourne City on Friday night.

Mabil was impressive in his 71-minute shift, starting in place of the injured Fabio Ferreira, and Gombau said he would like to see his boy wonder dominate the A-League before trying his luck in Europe.

“For me he’s a player that first needs to show here that he’s ready to go to Europe,” Gombau said.

“You cannot go to Europe if you are not an important player here or one of the best in the league and this is what I say to him – if he do this, if he prove this then for sure for him will arrive opportunities.

“Today (Friday) he takes this opportunity and he did very well. He’s a good kid, he’s working hard and he wants to try … his dream is to one day be a player in Europe.

“We will help him because one day in the end this is something that we want as a club – to create players and to bring him this opportunities and to create another one that takes his position.

“For sure we will do the best that we can for the kid because in the end we want that the kid progress.”

United host Sydney FC at Coopers Stadium on Friday night with the two sides sharing top spot on 10 points, a point clear of Perth Glory and three points clear of Melbourne Victory who would climb to first if they beat Wellington on Monday night.

DETAILS

Melbourne City 1 (Kisnorbo 8’)
Adelaide United 2 (Djite 38’, Carrusca pen 80’)
13,083 @ AAMI Park