According to Sky Sports, 20-year-old Serbian striker Luka Jovic, who currently plies his trade with Bundesliga outfit Eintracht Frankfurt on loan from Benfica, has attracted interest from the Premier League giants including Tottenham, Chelsea and Liverpool.
The Benfica loanee has made eyeball turn with an amazing start to the Bundesliga campaign, scoring 9 goals and providing 2 assists from 9 appearances in the German top flight. If there is anything that embodies his stellar start to the season, it has to be the five-goal haul in the 7-1 drubbing of Fortuna Dusseldorf just over a month ago.
A product of Red Belgrade’s youth system, Jovic was signed by Benfica back in 2016 and after a stint with the reserve team, he was sent to Eintracht Frankfurt on a two-season loan deal in 2017 to continue his further development.
The German club also has an option to sign him permanently at the end of the ongoing season, which they would probably take given that the youngster has surpassed all expectations.
Jovic was one of the cornerstones of Frankfurt’s DFB Pokal triumph last term, scoring the winner against Schalke in the semi-finals and also had a good season in the Bundesliga where he scored 8 goals, However, he has taken his game to a new level this season.
Standing at 5ft. 11 inches, Jovic is not particularly tall for a centre-forward but he has the ability to time his jump to perfection to win the aerial duels. The Serbian has established himself as a real aerial threat from crosses, corners and set-pieces.
However, it is not only about his aerial ability. He is not a one-dimensional centre-forward by any means and has a lot more in his repertoire to consistently find the back of the net. The most impressive thing about the Serbian youngster is his eye for goal.
His sound technique allows him to bring the ball down with minimal first-touch error and Jovic has shown the rare ability to find the net with first-time shots from inside the box without even taking a touch.
Blessed with the incredible instincts of a centre-forward, Jovic seems to know exactly where the goal is.and has the knack of being at the right place and at the right time to get on the end of crosses and through balls. In fact, his ability to lose his marker and time his runs to perfection make him a standout figure in the German top division.
Known for his ability to link-up with his teammates, Jovic has shown the finesse in his game with subtle flick-ons and layoffs. However, the most impressive things about him that should prompt the Premier League clubs to make a move for him are his calmness, composure and clinical nature in front of goal. As a matter of fact, all of his nine goals this season have come from inside the penalty box.
To put things into perspective, he would be a good back-up striker for all the Premier League giants and Manchester United should start pursuing an interest in him next summer.
The Red Devils have failed to hit the ground running under Jose Mourinho this term and Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez’s failure to deliver the goals has forced the manager to turn to Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial. While Martial has been at the centre of whatever little United have achieved this season, Rashford has blown hot and cold in patches.
To be honest, United’s leaky backline has let them down on several occasions but the attackers haven’t done a great job either. That should prompt Mourinho to make a move in January to bring in some new faces to freshen up the squad.
And Serbian youngster Luka Jovic certainly has what it takes to taste success at the highest level. He would be the ideal man to provide cover and competition for the likes of Martial, Lukaku and Rashford.
That said, Manchester United should beat their Premier League rivals to snap up the Serbian starlet when his loan deal at Frankfurt expires next summer. His market value is likely to have rocketed sky-high due to his amazing performances and he definitely won’t come cheap but going by whatever he has shown so far, Jovic has all the attributes to be a trusted long-term servant at Old Trafford.