Southampton are set to announce the arrival of Filip Djuričić on loan from SL Benfica for the rest of the season, after spending the first half of the season at Bundesliga side Mainz 05.

The Serbian international can play any of the three positions in attacking midfield, and joins a squad fighting for European qualification, including his compatriot and fellow Eredivisie export Dušan Tadić.

Despite being a revelation at Dutch side SC Heerenveen, the name Djuričić had been one not on the radar of many Southampton fans bar those with a knowledge of Football Manager. To find out more about Saints’ new signing, I spoke to the editor-in-chief of Serbian sports website Sportske.net, Miloš Marković, to find out more about the player nicknamed ‘The Balkan Cruyff’.

Hello Miloš, Southampton fans are unlikely to know too much about Djurićić; what is his position, and what are his qualities as a player?

Djurićić is a highly talented individual. An attacking midfielder capable of playing on both flanks (in my opinion better at the left), and thrоugh the middle, but also very good in front of the goal, as centre forward. He even played as an attacker a couple of times for Serbia, so he is perfectly capable of filling that role as well.

Filip is a lucid player, intelligent and very brave. Compared to Cruyff during his time in Heerenveen, Djurićić is a courageous player, with very good technical abilities.

The Serbian seems to have been a success at SC Heerenveen, but less of a success at SL Benfica and subsequently Mainz 05. Why is that?

It is worth mentioning that his early days in the Dutch league were not that successful and that he received a fair share of criticism. Sometimes described as a maverick of sort, Djurićić is often thought of as conceited, overly confident. He has one of those faces, I guess.

It can be attributed to his (past) habit of keeping the ball too long at his feet, trying to beat rivals on his own, making one dribble to many every time he tries to take the matter into his own hands. I mean legs.

The loan move was confirmed late in the evening, and was announced on the club’s social media platforms.

Van Basten was the first to stand in his defence a couple of years ago, I believe it was in 2012. He said that people criticised him undeservedly, saying that Djurićić was a model professional and is team-oriented, explaining he was “one of the players who give most in practice” . He even recommended him to Milan in 2012 and that should tell you something about how much he rated him.

Djurićić bloomed under Van Basten and his move to Benfica was expected to be a huge stepping stone. Still, I believe it was the lack of patience that proved to be costly for Djurićić.

While Matic and Markovic were made to bow their heads and work their way through the team, Djurićić was impatient, often speaking about his dissatisfaction with his status in the team. Jorge Jesus is a mastermind who wouldn't tolerate it and I personally believe that Djurićić will not be returning to Benfica.

Having been capped 20 times for his country, how is he seen in his home country?

Everyone here is kind of still waiting for that WOW factor to kick in. A lot was expected from him, he was seen as the leader of the next generation, but is yet to meet the expectations.

However, you must bear in mind that we Serbs are not very good with setting our bars right, so our entire team is maybe being pushed too far by the media and the public in general. You might say, in that way, that we're the England of the Balkans!

Djurićić will join his compatriots Branislav Ivanovic, Aleksandr Kolarov, Nemanja Matic, Lazar Markovic and of course his new club team mate Dušan Tadić in playing in the Premier League; do you think that he will be a success in England, and how is the Barclays Premier League seen in Serbia?

I do believe he is going to be a success in England, mainly because of Koeman who knows him very well and I think he sure knows what he is getting with Djurićić. We have seen Koeman’s magic touch so far this season, with the team, with Elia who is going to be a huge hit and I really hope that Koeman will be the one to save Djurićić’s once highly promising career.

Djuričić in action for Bundesliga side Mainz 05 earlier this season.

As for the Premier League itself, it will be good to see another attack-oriented Serb playing there. We've had a lot of success with defenders so far (Vidic, Ivanovic, Kolarov), then with Matic at his holding position and Tadic of course, but also with Markovic who is proving his point at the moment in Liverpool.

Premier League is the favourite football competition in Serbia, alongside the Champions League, no doubt about it. It’s the most attractive, the most viewed league here in Serbia by far, and not just because of the increasing colony of our lads. We just love it!

Obviously with the success of Tadić so far on the South Coast of England, and with Djuričić joining, how is Southampton viewed in Serbia?

Southampton gained a huge army of fans here in Serbia, although it was a highly rated club even before Tadic had arrived.

We Serbs honour the tradition clubs like Southampton nurture and represent. Also, we have our ‘pervert way’ of relating to sufferings of fallen giants making their way back to the top where they belong. With Saints back in the Premier League, everyone here in Serbia is rooting for Southampton to kick those corporate heads of Manchester City, Chelsea, Manchester United. Regarded as ‘the club with soul’, Saints will continue to have huge support here in Serbia.

Big, big thanks to Miloš for telling me and other Southampton fans more about Djurićič; it sounds like the Serbian international is an exciting player, despite his relative unsuccessful spell in Lisbon and Mainz. You can give Miloš a follow on Twitter here at @MiloseMarkovicu!