Aleksandar Pavlovic has played his way into the limelight with strong performances at FC Bayern Munich. Now the Serbian association is also intensively courting the top talent – and has been put off until the European Championship
Born in Munich, Pavlovic, who has played for FC Bayern since the age of seven, is one of the great discoveries of the current season. The 19-year-old has not only impressed in the Bundesliga, but also internationally, most recently in Tuesday’s 3-0 win over Lazio Roma in the Champions League.
His meteoric rise has also been noted in Serbia. Pavlovic has Serbian roots, so the 19-year-old could also represent the “White Eagles” at international level. And the Serbian federation (FSS) is trying to convince the German junior international to switch associations. A delegation from the Serbian association led by national team director Stevan Stojanovic was in Munich to speak to the midfielder – with limited success, as it now turns out.
“We were told that Aleksandar does not want to make a final decision at the moment,” said Stojanovic via the association’s website and also revealed that the top Munich talent definitely wants to take his time until after the European Championship. “We understand that. We will continue to observe him and keep in touch. In the end, we’ll see how the epilogue turns out.”
Serbia have qualified for the upcoming European Championships and will face England, Denmark and Slovenia in Group C – and Pavlovic would probably also have the option of playing in the finals.
Because: Serbia’s national coach Dragan Stojkovic already wanted to “nominate the Munich player for the upcoming international matches in March”, Stojanovic admitted and emphasized that they had been in contact with Pavlovic and his parents for “months”. “There have been intensive, constructive and direct talks. Aleksandar should be adequately integrated into the senior national team,” said Stojanovic and emphasized: “There is also no doubt that we see him there.”
Now, however, the FSS has been put off, in effect getting a basket. One thing is certain: the Serbs will have to be patient. Apparently, the ball is now in the DFB’s court, for whom Pavlovic already played two international matches for the U20s last November (1-0 in Romania, 2-3 against England). National coach Julian Nagelsmann knows Pavlovic personally and has already allowed the youngster to train regularly with the professionals during his time as Bayern coach.
However, it remains to be seen whether the 19-year-old is already a candidate for the national team. The fact is: Nagelsmann has a number of options in central midfield, not least since the return of Toni Kroos. In this case, Pavlovic will probably have to be patient. But what about the U21s? DFB coach Antonio Di Salvo has scouted the shooting star several times – and could call him up for the upcoming clashes against Kosovo on March 22 and four days later against Israel.
