Aston Villa defender Kosta Nedeljkovic has reiterated that he will give it his all in his bid to make his time with us a success.
The 18-year-old was signed in January from Red Star Belgrade but returned to the club on loan for the remainder of the campaign.
READ MORE: Promising signs from Villa summer signing as he adapts to crucial Emery role
Having gained valuable experience and developed his game in his homeland, he has begun the next chapter of his career with Villa this summer, and he continues to impress both and on and off the pitch.
Nedeljkovic has looked positive in every outing in pre-season thus far as it’s clear why the Villa recruitment team were so keen to land him despite his inexperience and age, while he has displayed maturity and determination in his interviews to give the impression that he has the necessary attitude and professionalism to be a key player for us.
That was on show again in a Q&A he did with the club this week, as he reiterated that he’ll give it his best shot to be a success at Villa and he is fully aware of the great opportunity that he’s got in front of him.
“My family were very proud of me and the club has shown trust in me, so I must give 100% to make it go in the best possible way,” he said, as per the Villa site. “We have a plan and it’s very important for me to work with this boss. Unai is one of the best coaches in the world. I’m 18-years-old and at my age to be training and playing games for him is very good – it’s a dream.
“I’m ready to fight against every team and every player. There are very good full-backs here. Matty Cash is a very good guy and he’s helped me a lot.
“I’m very excited and I know that Aston Villa is a top club with very good fans. I’m very excited to have my first game at Villa Park and I’m ready for it. The team is the first priority and I will do what the manager wants me to do. Obviously, I want to score a few goals and create assists, but it’s my first season so we will see.
“I know Savo Milošević and that he played for Aston Villa. I know he was popular with the fans, so I will push myself so that the fans will love me too.”
It will be fascinating to see how things develop in the coming weeks and months, as Nedeljkovic has arguably laid his marker down already in providing competition for Matty Cash as our starting right-back.
Naturally, he still has plenty of room for improvement and development, and he’ll continue to progress in his adaptation to Emery’s demands and style of play the more he trains with the group and gets minutes over pre-season.
What is important at this stage though is that he’s shown enough to suggest that he has both the ability and is capable of being a positive influence in our side, and with a wise head on his shoulders as he continues to say all the right things, he has the necessary character and personality to match his quality on the pitch to hopefully be a key figure for us for many years to come.
