Veljko Milosavljevic was not a name that many would have recognised two weeks ago.
A recently turned 18-year-old defender who played his football for Red Star Belgrade, having become the club’s third-youngest debutant.
Impressing at the top level of Serbian football at the age of 17, Milosavljevic’s future seemed to be incredibly bright.
On deadline day, the wonderkid took the step up to the big leagues, joining Bournemouth for a reported fee of £13m.
The Cherries did the impossible, securing and unveiling the Serbian before the deal was announced, through the world of football media.
However, more importantly, Andoni Iraola's side had a replacement for Illia Zabarnyi.
The perfect fit?
At 18 years old, Milosavljevic is a project player, but the defender already had several superb attributes that would be ready-made and suited for the Premier League.
A physical specimen who can use his feet.
Milosavljevic would have hoped for the occasional opportunity in his first season at the club, appearing in cup games and learning from top operators in his position, such as Marcos Senesi.
Nevertheless, the Serb certainly would not have expected to be thrown straight into the deep end.
However, as Bafode Diakite would not be ready to face Brighton, Bournemouth's newest addition would put on a red and black shirt, just two weeks after joining.
The 18-year-old stepped in, and Milosavljevic looked more than comfortable in the Premier League, being chosen as the game’s Man of the Match and providing a performance for Cherries fans to get excited about.
Following **Bournemouth**’s 2-1 victory, let’s look back on Milosavljevic’s solid performance.
Similarities to Huijsen and Zabarnyi
It was never going to be easy for Bournemouth, replacing their golden duo of Zabarnyi and Dean Huijsen, however, after their victory against Brighton, Cherries fans will be thinking that Milosavljevic might just be the answer.
In terms of signings, Bournemouth do not seem to get many wrong in recent times, and on paper, Milosavljevic has several similarities to the signing of Zabarnyi.
Bought for similar intentions, the Serbian has bags of promise and the potential to be sold for a large profit.
On the pitch, Milosavljevic is a giant, dominating attacking opposition in the air as he stands at the height of 6’3”.
Alternatively, the wonderkid is rapid, having the ability to recover and deter attackers when seemingly through on goal.
While he may share the physical traits of Huijsen, on the ball, **Bournemouth**’s new defender very much embodies the style of Zabarnyi.
Nothing flashy, but confident and composed on the ball, Milosavljevic’s role is simple: to pass the ball sideways to his teammates or loft a ball out wide.
Against Brighton, the 18-year-old made 56 touches and 40 attempted passes, also recording a pass completion rate of 82%.
An impressive return, Milosavljevic also found teammates in the final third of play on six occasions.
At his age, Milosavljevic is never going to be the end product and the central defender has plenty to improve in terms of his ability on the ball.
That being said, the way that Milosavljevic checks back onto his right foot and puts his laces through the ball when firing a long ball, it is clear to see why Bournemouth fans see similarities to Zabarnyi.
An all-round performance
It might be a compliment that Milosavljevic has been compared to Huijsen and Zabarnyi so early in his Bournemouth career.
However, the Serbian is his own player, and the defender can do a little bit of everything.
Coming straight into **Iraola**’s system against Brighton, Milosavljevic made an instant impact, recording 11 defensive contributions.
A wall in front of the Bournemouth goal, the centre back registered nine clearances, with six of those being with his head.
Alternatively, the former Red Star man was able to halt the Seagulls with his feet, picking up one interception and three recoveries in his first 90 minutes.
He may have made a number of stops, but Milosavljevic was also fabulous in his duels, winning 100% of his tackles, 100% of his ground duels, and 50% of his aerial duels.
Looking back, it is hard to see how Milosavljevic’s debut could have been any better.
The defender took to the Premier League like a duck to water, ignoring all the pressure that he was under and showing an immense amount of maturity in a short space of time.
Depending on the severity of his absence, Diakite looks likely to return to the side against Newcastle.
But after a near-perfect debut, there will be plenty of optimism for Milosavljevic for the future.
His role in Iraola’s squad going forward
With James Hill seemingly considered as more of a right back by Iraola, Milosavljevic immediately jumps the queue, becoming **Bournemouth**’s third-choice centre back, sitting above inexperienced options such as Matai Akinmboni.
He will certainly need to do a little more to overthrow the pairing of Senesi and Diakite, but after his performance at the weekend, the Serbian could be used as an option from the bench, either to secure the backline or add fresh legs.
With the best years of his career still to come, Milosavljevic could become one of the Premier League’s household names in defence and one of the faces of Bill Foley’s Bournemouth.
Looking forward, Milosavljevic is certainly one to watch; it is hard to ignore the phenomenal development path offered by Iraola's Cherries.