Fiorentina’s Matija Nastasic looks set to become a Manchester City player after the two clubs agreed a fee for the 19-year-old centre back, but just who is he?
Manchester City seem set to complete the signing of Serbian defender Matija Nastasic, with Stefan Savic going in the opposite direction.
Savic struggled during his spells in the City first team last season and fans at Eastlands will be hoping for more from his countryman.
But just who is Matija Nastasic?
1. Matija was born in Valjevo, western Serbia in 1993.
2. He was spotted as a great talent as a youngster and signed for perennial Serbian football giants Partizan Belgrade as a youth team player.
3. In 2010 he was promoted to the first team for the first time but never played a full competitive game for Crno-Beli during his stay in the capital.
4. Instead Matija made his first steps into professional football at popular Partizan farm club FK Teleoptik of Belgrade, on a loan deal.
5. In doing so he followed in the footsteps of fellow internationals such as current free agent and former PSV and Zenit star Danko Lazovic, current Real Zaragoza pairing Stefan Babovic and Ivan Obradovic and Partizan legend Milivoje Cirkovic.
6. He signed for Fiorentina in 2011 joining fellow Partizan graduates Adem Ljajic and Stevan Jovetic in Florence.
7. He made 27 appearances in his debut season in Italy scoring twice; his first professional goals against Parma and Cesena.
8. Matija has been a regular with Serbia’s youth teams since Under-17 level and after impressing in Serie A he found his way into the first team, winning his first national cap earlier this year.
So will the centre half, said to be the next Nemanja Vidic, prove as successful for Manchester City as Vidic has for United…
What do you think?
Here he is in action…
image: © dullhunk
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