Former Southampton star Dusan Tadic has been named on the 15-man shortlist for the FIFPro World XI Midfielders category.
Twitter: The 15-man shortlist for the FIFPro World XI Midfielders category:
Arthur
Busquets
De Bruyne… https://t.co/tW4QjONSEA (@btsportfootball)
The Serbian departed St Mary’s last summer for Dutch giants Ajax, where he has seen his career go from strength to strength.
And now, just one year on, he is accompanying the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Sergio Busquets and current Balon d’Or holder Luka Modric on a list of the top-performing midfield players across the world, despite operating largely up top for the Eredivisie champions.
So was selling Tadic the right decision for Saints?
Read Southampton’s verdict
The 30-year-old linked up with Saints in 2014 when he signed from FC Twente for around £8m. He became the first signing under Ronald Koeman, who himself was a newcomer at St Mary’s.
During his four-year spell on the South Coast, Tadic made 134 Premier League appearances, scoring 20 goals and assisting 27. His partnership with talisman Graziano Pelle made him a fans’ favourite, as he eventually outstayed the Italian striker.
Since returning to the Netherlands, Tadic helped himself to 28 goals in 34 appearances in the Eredivisie last season, whilst also leading Ajax to the Champions League semi-finals, where they were defeated by Tottenham Hotspur.
He has started this campaign where he left off, with four goals in four league appearances so far, as Ajax look to retain the Eredivisie title.
His sublime displays throughout last campaign, most notably against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, have seen him draw plaudits from all over the world, and Southampton have dearly missed his creative flair and excellent vision since his departure.
Replacing the void that Tadic left wasn’t easy, with a couple of players coming in and failing to leave their mark on the side in the same way that he did.
Mohamed Elyounoussi was brought in from FC Basel for a substantial fee, but seemed out of his depth in the top flight, and has now joined Celtic on loan.
But now, with Nathan Redmond proving a key spark in the Saints attack and the likes of Moussa Djenepo and Sofiane Boufal entering the fray, it seems like Ralph Hasenhuttl has players who can be similarly influential.
Saints fans may now find it easier to sit back and see what players like Tadic can achieve in the future, knowing that there are exciting attacking players within their ranks once again.
