Is Time Running out for Serbia's Ex-Manchester United Target Filip Djuricic?
Once on the cusp of signing for Manchester United, Benfica's Serbian central attacking midfielder Filip Djuricic, 23, faces a summer of precariousness.
A squad-filler at Benfica and after making a bland impression on loan at Southampton, Djuricic is on a career course seemingly leading nowhere.
He now has the opportunity to cast aside his club woes by taking a starring role for Serbia at the European Under-21 Championship.
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A big summer can put his star back on the rise, but further disappointment could continue the spiral towards mediocrity.
The Balkan Cruyff
Before Ajax "were expected to sign" Djuricic, at the time a 16-year-old prodigy from Radnicki Obrenovac, he was flagged by Manchester United scout Budimir Vujacic, per Duncan White at the Independent.
Vujacic was handing Manchester United Serbia's best talents.
"Every day, there are more of us [Serbians] here at Manchester United," Djuricic said, per Kurir (h/t Adam Marshall at Setanta Sports). "If we do well, definitely more Serbs will come. Serbian will soon be the official language here."
Manchester United invited Djuricic to Old Trafford, where he rubbed shoulders with Fabio Capello, Marcel Desailly and Jose Mourinho, three high-profile guests who witnessed the Red Devils beat Chelsea 3-0.
It was an eye-opening 10 days in England for Djuricic as he toured the Theatre of Dreams.
But reality set in.
When told of probable work-permit issues likely leading to prolonged loans away from Manchester United, Djuricic opted out.
"[Manchester United] said the best solution was to send me somewhere on loan for a couple of years," Djuricic said, per Gordon Simpson at 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 Ajax and, unbeknownst to him, he would have been on a collision course with another wonderkid.
Then-Odense Boldklub sporting director Kim Brink helped Christian Eriksen and his family choose Ajax over Barcelona and Chelsea.
"We have helped Christian and his family find the right club for him," Brink said, per UEFA's website. "It was important to us not to stand in the way of his chance to develop even further."
After an acclimatisation period, Djuricic bloomed under then-Heerenveen manager Ron Jans.
Functioning as a dual-threat, Djuricic scored 10 goals and accumulated 12 assists during the 2011/12 season.
Jans, who can motivate players to overachieve, set out the team. On the field, Djuricic made life easy for Bas Dost, Luciano Narsingh and Oussama Assaidi.
Taking the ball past players, producing incisive passes and being involved in the build-up play leading to potential scoring chances, Djuricic was Johan Cruyff-like.
This is why Djuricic earned the nickname the Balkan Cruyff, per Stefan Coerts at Goal.
Yes, Djuricic was that good.
The architect in Heerenveen's build-up play, Djuricic was central to the success of Dost, Narsingh and Assaidi.
Dost scored 32 goals, Narsingh registered 22 assists and Assaidi scored 10 goals—all three later upgraded in clubs.
When Djuricic was at his best, he was on par with Eriksen.
Despite being proclaimed as a can't-miss prospect and displaying outrageous skill, Eriksen tended to underperform against big teams.
Eriksen had the luxury of starring for Ajax, a club with a monopoly over the Eredivisie, having won the league title three seasons straight.
Djuricic was as creative and technically gifted as Eriksen, but he played for an inferior team in Heerenveen.
Where It Started To Go Wrong
Liverpool and Manchester United were in the running to sign Djuricic, per Jure Bohoric at Sky Sports.
Djuricic chose Benfica, a club that was a stepping stone for the likes of Angel Di Maria, Axel Witsel, David Luiz, Enzo Perez, Fabio Coentrao, Jan Oblak, Lazar Markovic, Nemanja Matic, Ramires and Rodrigo Moreno.
Those success stories shroud the broken dreams of prospects like Alipio Duarte, Blaz Brezovacki, Dalibor Stojanovic, Franco Jara, Freddy Adu, Kaz Patafta, Nicolas Canales, Roger Galera, Sidnei and Yu Dabao.
Add Djuricic to that list.
Then-Benfica manager Jorge Jesus kept Djuricic on the bench 23 times during the 2013/14 season, which provided a clear message: "You're not wanted here."
Arriving at Mainz on loan, Djuricic was dispirited by the intensity of the Bundesliga.
He failed to score or create a goal in 477 minutes over 11 games, prompting a blunt assessment from then-Mainz manager Kasper Hjulmand.
"In the Bundesliga, you should always keep working," Hjulmand said, per Kicker (h/t Adam Bate at Sky Sports). "[Djuricic] needs to learn that more speed and more power is needed here."
It was not a lack of quality, rather Djuricic's inability to fully dedicate himself to Mainz.
He was playing at his own tempo instead of what Hjulmand wanted.
It was the antithesis to how Djuricic acted off-the-ball when he was at Heerenveen, per the Scouting Network (via Wyscout): "He worked hard chasing the ball down and putting defenders under pressure."
Even if Djuricic stayed at Mainz, he probably would 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 for a Mainz side that was often overreliant on Johannes Geis' deep-lying playmaking.
"I'm certain that I can take the next step at the club and under manager Martin Schmidt," Malli said when he extended his contract until 2018, per Mainz's website. "I'm happy that my future has been cleared up and I'm excited for a successful future."
Djuricic's future is unclear.
He didn't qualify for Kicker's Bundesliga player rankings, but his rating in theory placed him at No. 185.
Irrelevant.
Southampton manager Ronald Koeman, who rescued the career of Graziano Pelle, believed a loan to the Premier League could reinvigorate Djuricic.
"There was a lot of interest in [Djuricic] when he was at Heerenveen," Koeman said, per 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 referring to Jesus' pragmatic approach at Benfica, which is the root of Djuricic's lack of conviction in the last two seasons.
"It's physical football in Portugal and [Djuricic] is more technical," Koeman said, per Southampton's website. "I think it's better for him to play in a team like Southampton because our type of football is the best for [him]."
Meanwhile, Eriksen found his team in Tottenham Hotspur, and he has that foundation to build upon.
Djuricic is still lost.
Two Transfers, Two Outcomes
Before their careers diverged, Eriksen-Djuricic could have been another Ryan Babel-Luis Suarez situation.
Babel, a much-publicised Ajax cash cow, overshadowed Suarez, an emerging star at Groningen.
Managed by Jans, Suarez eventually became the true world-class footballer, while Babel is all talk and no action.
"There are players who play maybe 15 years but you forget them a year after they are gone. They are not special," Jans said, per Jamie Jackson at the Guardian. "[Suarez] is different. We have a special player here. There are not many [like him]."
Djuricic is veering in the direction of Babel.
Post-Heerenveen, Djuricic is proving he is not special, but there is another opportunity for him.
Without UEFA's contradictory by-laws—it is illogical that a 23-year-old can play in an U21 tournament—Djuricic would be in his offseason, perhaps wondering what has gone wrong.
An impressive showing at the UEFA European Under-21 Championship could help kick-start Djuricic's comeback next season.
When not specified, statistics via WhoScored.com.
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