Cherries make Belgrade history

Everything happened remarkably fast for 18-year-old centre back Veljko Milosavljevic.

The Serbian media and pundits are calling him "one of the biggest talents of Serbian football", especially when it comes to defending.

After just 27 senior appearances for Red Star Belgrade, former European champions from 1991, he has earned a move to the Premier League.

The teenager's transfer to AFC Bournemouth is not only career-defining for him, but for the club as well - it's the biggest in the Belgrade red-and-whites' history.

Milosavljevic was born in 2007, in the city of Pozarevac, in central Serbia. He went through the entire Red Star football academy and represented Serbia at all youth levels.

His senior debut at just 16 years, three months, and 20 days old made him the third youngest player in the history of Red Star.

And if there is a such thing as looking like a centre-back, that could be Milosavljevic.

He dominates the pitch with his 6ft 3in frame and a commanding presence, but he's more than just size and strength. Coaches have praised his calmness under pressure and technical ability, attributes he honed playing a bit as a defensive midfielder during his youth career.

He even filled in at right back in some recent matches.

"A dedicated kid, a professional, smart, hardworking... I'm sure he has a big future ahead of him and will be very important not only for Red Star, but also for Serbian football," Red Star's coach Vladan Milojevic said recently about him.

"He's mentally strong and more mature than others in his generation."

The Serbian media are reporting that several clubs were interested in Milosavljevic - Celtic, Everton, Brighton and Newcastle were the most mentioned – but that the Cherries were the most persistent.

The key was their development plan, the reports suggest.

Milosavljevic leaves Red Star with a Serbian league and cup double and experience in Champions League qualifiers against Lech Poznań and Pafos.

He scored once for the club's senior side.

The International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES) recently published a list of the 200 best teenagers in the world of football and Milosavljevic was at the 49th position.

He hasn't really had a chance to do a lot of interviews – he was too young, so privately, not much is known about him.

Under the glare of the Premier League, we look set to find out much more.