Milos Veljkovic does not have much time on his hands these days. The 20-year-old has a dentist appointment and is in a hurry to get there. Even on Monday, with no training, the January signing had an awful lot to do. "Sorting out insurance, looking for an apartment and lots more," read Veljkovic from his to-do list. The Serb is just settling down in Bremen: both on the pitch and in the town.
With the midweek Bundesliga debut followed closely by the home debut on Saturday, it would appear to all be moving very quickly. That may well be, but Veljkovic is relaxed: "It was a great feeling in the last week, but I’d like to start settling in and learning everything bit by bit."
Staying calm; that seems to be Veljkovic’s strength. "Milos is a cool kid, very mature for his age and performs very consistently. He’s definitely among the most talented players of his age group," said sporting director Thomas Eichin praising the 18 and 29 minute appearances for the Serbia youth international against Leverkusen and Hannover. According to the original plan, the midfielder was only supposed to join the senior team in the summer, but with his "very good performances for the U23s, he earned himself a place in the Bundesliga squad," said Eichin.
Veljkovic described the short appearances in the league as "very good. I want to keep learning more and more and get used to the standard," he said. His free-time activities have been short so far as well, but still: Along with family and friends, Veljkovic has been able to explore the city centre. Of course, Bremen cannot be compared to his previous place of residence London. But it doesn’t need to compared, be in his opinion. "There are lots of nice little restaurants and cafes. Bremen is just a very cosy town where you can easily go out with your friends," said the Swiss-born ‘new Bremer’.
In terms of adapting to life in the team, he was helped particularly by the likes of Claudio Pizarro, Clemens Fritz and Zlatko Junuzovic, the latter of whom Veljkovic speaks his mother tongue Serbian with. "My mother and father speak Serbian with me, but with my sister I usually speak German. In fact, mostly it’s a mix of the two," he explained [in German] with a Swiss accent in his voice. His knowledge of the German language certainly came in handy when integrating in Bremen.
On the pitch, Claudio and Clemens are constantly giving him tips and advice. The really reassuring thing, he tells us, is that they are always ready to receive the ball - regardless of how crowded out they are: "You know they’re going to keep the ball and play their game," said Veljkovic. Staying composed in heated situations really impresses the 20-year-old. He too is very calm in possession: as much at the centre of defence as in defensive midfield - he can pass the ball out efficiently from either position. His natural composure, even in hectic situations, works heavily in his favour on the pitch.
