BRANN SNUB LEEDS REQUEST
The highly-rated duo have been chased by a host of clubs but Leeds were allowed to take the pair to Yorkshire for a week of training, with Brann stating that they would not be willing to allow them to play a competitive game.
Director Arne Moller revealed the fact that the Norwegian season ended less than a month ago as one of the major reasons for their decision, as well as the fact that Leeds have had plenty of chance to watch them at club and international level.
"We said that we wouldn't let them play the game," he told planetfootball.com. "They asked but we said we didn't want them to do that.
"That was not what we had expected from the start because we never talked about a game, it was just that Leeds wanted them to come over and do some training.
"We didn't want them to play as we are three weeks into our off-season and we don't think Leeds need to see them play in a game to decide if they want to pay us.
"After the League ended on the 22nd of October they did some physical tests and then they were off from training here, so when they went to Leeds they were two weeks out of training.
"We didn't risk it as we had so many clubs coming to us asking for trials and we can't take the risk of injuries and things like that.
"First of all we'd like to keep the players, but if other teams would like to come in with offers, or want them, we didn't want to take the risk, they are very valuable players."
Leeds have said that they are still interested in the pair and that they could follow up that interest, but Moller added that he was surprised that the Champions League outfit could not make a decision on whether to sign them without seeing them again.
"Leeds have been following these two for a long time," he continued. "It seems odd that everything has to stand or fall on a single reserve game."
Meanwhile, winger Jason Wilcox makes his return to action in the reserve team game, to be played at York, after only featuring once this season after suffering a knee injury and then a broken ankle on his return to action in a freak training ground accident.
