“For me, it was clear that he’d make it”

Milos Veljkovic on former teammate Harry Kane

Milos Veljkovic on the pitch.
Milos Veljkovic and Harry Kane played together at Spurs (photo: W.DE).
First Team
Wednesday, 16.08.2023 / 18:00

A pen in one hand and some watermelon in the other. During the training camp in Zillertal, Milos Veljkovic often used his lunch break to meet the fans and to sign autographs. He was also relaxed and full of good humour during Werder’s time in Austria. When asked about Harry Kane’s possible move to the Bundesliga, the 27-year-old joked: “I hope he’s not in Munich for the first matchday!” The England captain finally made the move to Germany’s top flight after a summer full of transfer rumours and he looks set to feature against the Green-Whites in Friday night’s curtain raiser. The match could also mark a reunion for Veljkovic and Kane.

Milos and Harry have played 13 competitive matches with each other, the majority of which came for the Tottenham Hotspur U21s. The defender spoke of his admiration for the England striker in a Werder podcast back in 2019, but he also made it clear that the path to the top hasn’t all been plain sailing for his former Spurs teammate. Much like Veljkovic himself, Kane had a couple of loan spells before he established himself as one of Europe’s top poachers. “Before you get your chance in the first team, you often need to prove yourself elsewhere. It’s a difficult and an intense period, but it’s also one in which you can learn a lot,” explained Veljkovic."

In search of a perfect performance

Milos Veljkovic in individual training with Weiser
Veljkovic and Weiser in action (photo: W.DE).

Both players made the final step into professional football at different clubs. As Veljkovic was making a name for himself as a defender at Werder, Kane was showing the world his attacking prowess in the Premier League with Tottenham. “He was a very complete player even back in the day and he has improved year on year. A lot of it is around his vision and his precision. For me, it was clear that he’d make it. I didn’t think twice about how far he could go, but I had to maybe look at myself a little bit,” said Veljkovic.

Kane’s strong attributes and adaptability make him a very difficult opponent to prepare for. So much so, Veljkovic emphasised that his side need to prepare for Bayern as a whole. “We need to look to perform well and make sure that everyone does their job,” said the Serbia international. “It’s no secret that we need to put in a perfect performance against Bayern. We weren’t missing much last year and I think we have an even stronger team this season. We want to put the cup defeat behind us and fully focus on the league.”

 

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