Aston Villa defender shines against European Champions

Aston Villa defender Kosta Nedeljkovic produced an excellent display for Serbia against Spain in yesterday's UEFA Nations League fixture. The match, which finished goalless, marked the start of a bright international future for the 18-year-old with a confident performance on his first cap for his country.

Kosta tipped to have bright future

Aston Villa signed the young right-back from Red Star Belgrade in January before immediately re-joining the club on loan for the remainder of the 2023/24 season. After making three substitute appearances for Villa this season, he was rewarded with a national call-up for the first time and he then started and played ninety minutes against European Champions, Spain.

Nedeljkovic showed glimpses of his quality in Villa's game against Arsenal in August after he replaced the injured Matty Cash within the first quarter of the match. The 18-year-old clearly has raw talent and his skill and pace on the ball will be a vital threat for Villa in years to come. He has also impressed the Villa faithful with his maturity. After joining the club officially in the summer, Nedeljkovic displayed maturity, determination, and a drive to succeed following interviews with VillaTV. As a result, he has been welcomed with both arms by the Villa fans and manager Unai Emery.

Speaking to 'Villa News' in the summer, Villa fan Ty Bracey said he is excited about what the young Serbian international will offer the team going forward.

"“I think he’s going to be a great player for us. He has different attributes to Matty Cash so it is difficult to make a direct comparison. I think he brings pace and strength which looked really good but they aren’t the same type of player. I’ve liked what I’ve seen of Nedeljkovic and can’t wait to see more.“"

Meanwhile, Aston Villa journalist John Townley, following Villa's pre-season victory over Athletic Bilbao, said, " “Kosta Nedeljkovic’s physical profile at 18 years of age is incredible. He makes things happen and has the ability to take players out of the game with his pace alone. An exciting prospect sure to be making an impression on Unai Emery. Looks like a great find from Villa.”

Will Nedeljkovic start for Villa in the next few weeks?

It was a shock to most to see fellow Villa youngster Lamar Bogarde being chosen by Unai Emery to start against Leicester City last time out. With Matty Cash likely to remain side-lined for the next couple of weeks at least, it will be interesting to see if Emery selects Nedeljkovic now that he has performed so well for his country against a world-class opposition.

Bogarde put in a solid display against Leicester but was dribbled past too easily in the build-up to the Foxes goal in Villa's 2-1 victory. Villa's next game is at home to bottom-of-the-table Everton and the game presents a good opportunity for Nedeljkovic to make his full Aston Villa debut against weaker opposition.

UTV