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Benfica’s Serbian midfielder Filip Djuricic, 23, is close to signing for Manchester United and faces a summer of uncertainty.

A squad filler at Benfica and after making a bland impression on Southampton, Djuricic is on a career path that is seemingly going nowhere.

He now has the option to put his club troubles aside by taking on a lead role for Serbia at the European Under-21 Championship.

A great summer can raise its star again, but further disappointments could continue the spiral towards mediocrity.

The Balkans Cruyff

Before Ajax Djuricic, then a 16-year-old prodigy of Radnicki Obrenovac, was “expected to sign”, Manchester United scout Budimir Vujacic reported him to the Independent via Duncan White.

Vujacic has passed The best talents from Manchester United Serbia.

“We are getting more every day [Serbians] here at Manchester United, “said Djuricic per Kurir (h / t Adam Marshall at Setanta Sports).” If we do well, there will definitely be more Serbs. Serbian will soon be the official language here. “

Manchester United invited Djuricic too Old Trafford, where he rubbed shoulders with Fabio Capello, Marcel Desailly and Jose Mourinho, three top-class guests who saw the Red Devils beat Chelsea 3-0.

It’s been 10 days in England that eyes open for Djuricic when touring the Theater of Dreams.

But reality set in.

When Djuricic learned of likely problems with the work permit, which likely resulted in extended credit from Manchester United, Djuricic turned it down.

“[Manchester United] said the best solution would be to send me somewhere for a couple of years, “said Djuricic via Gordon Simpson of the Southern Daily Echo.[My family and I] decided if I have enough quality that I will come back one day. “

Djuricic also crossed out He and Ajax would have been on a collision course with another child prodigy without knowing it.

The then Odense Boldklub sports director Kim Brink helped Christian Eriksen and his family with the selection Ajax over Barcelona and Chelsea.

“We helped Christian and his family to find the right club for him”, Brink said, according to the UEFA website. “It was important to us not to stand in the way of his chance to develop even further.”

• Djuricic | Radnicki Obrenovac → Heerenveen: € 1.5m / £ 1.3m (17 years old; 2010).
• Eriksen | FROM → Ajax: € 1 million / £ 952,500 (16 years old; 2009).

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PHOTO | What a wonderful action again (Pole). How many RTs for this guy? #Djuricic #heefey @ 433LIVE http://t.co/sbMjjOsf7H

After a period of getting used to it, Djuricic flourished under then-Heerenveen manager Ron Jans.

function as a double threat, Djuricic scored 10 goals and amassed 12 assists during the 2011-12 season.

Jans, who can motivate players to perform at their best, introduces the team. Djuricic Bas Dost, Luciano Narsingh and Oussama Assaidi made life easy on the field.

Guide the ball past the players, produce concise passes and be included in the build-up of the game, which leads to potential scoring chances, Djuricic was like Johan Cruyff.

That’s why Djuricic was nicknamed the Balkan Cruyff, by Stefan Coerts at Goal.

Yes sir, Djuricic was so good.

The architect in Heerenveen’s building game, Djuricic, was central to the success of Dost, Narsingh and Assaidi.

Dost scored 32 goals, Narsingh recorded 22 assists and Assaidi scored 10 goals – all three were later upgraded to the clubs.

• Enough | Heerenveen → Wolfsburg: € 7m / £ 5.6m (23 years old; 2012).
• Narsingh | Heerenveen → PSV Eindhoven: € 4.1m / £ 3.2m (21 years old; 2012).
• as said | Heerenveen → Liverpool: € 4m / £ 3.1m (24 years old; 2012).

When Djuricic was at his best, he was equal to Eriksen.

WEATHER @VI_nl

Christian Eriksen’s numbers at Ajax http://t.co/0zDX5zFA5J

Although Eriksen has been cited as an unavoidable candidate and demonstrated incredible skill, Eriksen tended to underperform against large teams.

Eriksen had the luxury of playing for Ajax, a club with a monopoly over the Eredivisie, after winning the league title three seasons in a row.

Djuricic was just as creative and technically gifted as Eriksen, but he played for an inferior team in Heerenveen.

Where it started to go wrong

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Strength #Djuricic We count on your magic #CarregaBenfica #BenficaMaior http://t.co/jCoA78FsOT

Liverpool and Manchester United were in the running to sign Djuricic, pro Jure Bohoric at Sky Sports.

Djuricic chose Benfica, a club that was a stepping stone for greats like Angel Di Maria, Axel Witsel, David Luiz, Enzo Perez, Fabio Coentrao, Jan Oblak, Lazar Markovic, Nemanja Matic, Ramires and Rodrigo Moreno.

These success stories cover up the broken dreams of prospects like Alipio Duarte, Blaz Brezovacki, Dalibor Stojanovic, Franco Jara, Freddy Adu, Kaz Patafta, Nicolas Canales, Roger Galera, Sydney and Yu Dabao.

Add to Djuricic on this list.

The then Benfica manager Jorge Jesus kept Djuricic sat on the bench 23 times in the 2013/14 season, which sent a clear message: “You are not wanted here.”

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Filip Djuricic and Benfica coach Jorge Jesus. http://t.co/kw9Jy2X871

Arrived in Mainz on loan, Djuricic was discouraged by the intensity of the Bundesliga.

He could neither score nor one goal in 11 games in 477 minutes, which led to an outspoken assessment of the then Mainz manager Kasper Hjulmand.

“You should always keep working in the Bundesliga” Hjulmand said by kicker (h / t Adam Bate at Sky Sports). “[Djuricic] has to learn that more speed and more power are needed here. “

It wasn’t the quality, rather Djuricic’s inability to fully devote himself Mainz.

He played at his own pace instead of what Hjulmand wanted.

It was the antithesis of how Djuricic acted off the ball in Heerenveen, according to Scouting Network (via Wyscout): “He worked hard to chase the ball and put pressure on the defenders.”

Even if Djuricic had stayed at Mainz, he would probably have been demoted by Hjulmand’s successor Martin Schmidt, who rates attacking midfielder Yunus Malli highly.

Malli scored six goals, provided four assists and provided a spark Mainz team, which was often too dependent on Johannes Geis’ profound style of play.

“I am sure that I can take the next step in the club and under coach Martin Schmidt,” said Malli when the contract was extended until 2018 on the Mainz website. “I’m happy that my future is clear and I’m looking forward to a successful future.”

Djuricic’s future is unclear.

He did not qualify for table football Bundesliga player ranking, but his rating theoretically put him in 185th place.

Irrelevant.

Southampton FC @SouthamptonFC

NEWS: Here is the full story of #SaintsFC’s # Deadlineday loan switch for Filip Djuričić from Serbia – http://t.co/OvuljkX4VE http://t.co/VoT1ezTiB1

Southampton manager Ronald Koeman, who saved Graziano Pelle’s career, believed a Premier League loan could revive it Djuric.

“The interest was great [Djuricic] when he was in Heerenveen “, Koeman said by Southampton’s website. “He was in a difficult situation, he was on loan at Mainz and we will take him on loan for the rest of the season.”

The “difficult situation” was Koeman in relation to Jesus’ pragmatic approach Benfica, the root of Djuricic’s lack of conviction over the past two seasons.

“It’s physical soccer in Portugal and [Djuricic] is more technical “, Koeman said by Southampton’s website. “I think it’s better for him to play on a team like Southampton because our kind of football is the best for” [him]. “

In the meantime, Eriksen found his team in Tottenham Hotspur, and he can build on that.

Djuricic is still lost.

Southampton FC @SouthamptonFC

MATCHDAY MAGAZINE: Here is the cover of Saturday’s SAINTS issue with Filip Djuričić. #saintsfc http://t.co/9sZoT2FKYes

Two transfers, two results

• Eriksen | Ajax → Tottenham Hotspur: 13.5 million euros / 11.5 million pounds (21 years; 2013).
• Djuricic | Heerenveen → Benfica: € 8m / £ 6.9m (21 years old; 2013).

Before their careers split, Eriksen-Djuricic could have been another Ryan Babel-Luis Suarez situation.

Babel, a highly regarded Ajax cash cow, is overshadowed Suarez, a rising star in Groningen.

managed by jans, Suarez eventually became the true world-class footballer while Babel is just talk and not action.

“There are players who have played maybe 15 years but you forget them a year after they’re gone. They’re nothing special,” Jans said, according to the Guardian’s Jamie Jackson. “[Suarez] is different. We have a special player here. There are not many [like him]. “

Djuricic swings in the direction Babel.

After Heerenveen, Djuricic proves he’s nothing special, but there is another opportunity for him.

Without UEFA’s contradicting statutes – it’s illogical for a 23-year-old to be able to take part in an Under-21 tournament –Djuricic would be in his offseason and might wonder what went wrong.

An impressive performance at the UEFA European Under-21 Championship could make the kick start easier Djuricic’s comeback next season.

+ allanjiang.

If not provided, statistics via WhoScored.com.

In addition to seniors, MMA competitors, boxers, kick boxers, the club gathers about fifty girls and boys who train hard and achieve very enviable results in numerous competitions. Majdanpek boxing club “Miners” ranked third at the recent championship of the Association of Southeast Serbia of 19 clubs. From this championship, the competitors from Majdanpek, who won five medals, brought three gold medals to Majdnapek, the coach of Majdanpek boxers and the president of the “Miners” club told Informer.

– We compete in three sports in parallel. In boxing, kickboxing and MMA-mixed martial arts. For such a small environment, the club is developing with incredible speed, progressing and achieving enviable results. In addition to the senior professional MMA fighters we have, Miljan Djordjevic stands out among the professional fighters. We have recently had two side reinforcements in our ranks. Professional MMA fighters, Nemanja Nikolić and Milan Novaković, who are now boxing for our club with over ten professional matches in the country and abroad, which is a special part. However, what makes me especially happy is that our boxing club “Miners” was created by the idea of ​​a few of us guys from the area, enthusiasts, with the desire to separate the children from the street and focus on playing sports. And we succeeded in that. Today, in our boxing plant, we gather about 50 young hopefuls, of which five girls stand out for their talent, and among the boys we already have a lot of them with medals from numerous competitions. Certainly the biggest future of Majdanpek kickboxing is twelve-year-old Filip Makuljević, who recently won first place in his category at the state championship of Serbia in Kraljevo and brought gold to Majdanpek – coach Ivan Djordjevic proudly points out, who is not alone in this job, but he is also helped in everything by engaged coaches from the side, hardened fighters in these skills.

Photo: Vesna Jović

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Filipa Makuljević, who certainly represents the greatest young hope of the Majdanpek variety, is not an ordinary child. As his coach says about him, this boy, who is only 12 years old, is a sixth grade student at the Elementary School in Majdanpek, he has all the predispositions to become a big name in kickboxing. A naturally talented child, he has everything that a top athlete should have, especially one who has decided to practice martial arts. A good psyche, which does not lack a sports heart. He masters everything that is shown to him with ease, and motivation, which is an important factor for a champion, is his most pronounced trait.

That is why Filip recently brought gold from the championship of the Association of Southeast Serbia in kickboxing to Majdanpek, but also perhaps the most valuable recognition, the title of the state champion of Serbia. The showcases of the club would surely be adorned with another gold from the MMA skills championship, if it was against the candidate for Filip, coach Ivan Djordjevic is confident.

– In the final match at the state championship, I met my peer from Novi Pazar. I was not scared, I am never afraid, because I always go out in the ring with a great desire to win, I believe in myself and that’s how it is. It is a great effort, work and sacrifice, and that is why I never miss gold, which is why I am very happy when I return to my city from the competition. I love this sport, I live for it, coach Ivan is not strict and I carefully absorb everything he points out to me to pay attention to – says this nice boy who in so few years already bears a great responsibility. Retain and defend the title of national champion.

What Majdanpek boxers sincerely hope and rightly expect, considering all the achieved results and medals they bring to their city and municipality, to enable them to get a professional ring, in order to create all the conditions for small Majdanpek to become such athletes with such athletes. a venue for major boxing competitions. It is also the right way for a sport that is expanding in the city of miners to gain even more supporters, especially among the youngest population.

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Eintracht reached the ninth victory in the championship in Zinsheim, and the first figure of the match was the Serbian national team player Filip Kostić.

The left-footed outside football player first gave the guests the advantage in the 15th minute, and after Beba equalized, Kostić set two goals for his teammates – Ndiki and Silvi.

The team from Frankfurt thus reached 36 points and fourth place in the Bundesliga table.

Adi Heather’s team has 12 points less than the leading Bayern, but only two less than the third-placed Wolfsburg.

Luka Jović played for Eintracht in the 73rd minute.

The match between Arminia and Werder Bremen has been postponed.

Bundesliga, Round 20:

Friday:

Hertha BSC – Bayern 0: 1

Saturday:

Augsburg – Wolfsburg 0: 2
Leverkusen – Stuttgart 5: 2
Freiburg – Dortmund 2: 1
Mainz – Union Berlin 1: 0
Schalke – Leipzig 0: 3
Monchengladbach – Cologne 1: 2

Sunday:

Hoffenheim – Eintracht 1: 3
Arminia – Werder Bremen (postponed)

Table:
1. Bayern Munich 48
2. Leipzig 41
3. Wolfsburg 38
4. Eintracht Frankfurt 36
5. Leverkusen 35
6. Dortmund 32
7. Borussia Monchengladbach 32
8. Freiburg 30
9. Union Berlin 29
10. Stuttgart 25
11. Werder Bremen 22
12. Hoffenheim 22
13. Augsburg 22
14. Cologne 21
15. Hertha 17
16. Arminia Bielefeld 17
17. Mainz 13
18. Schalke 8