Will play for Serbia in the future
During the upcoming international break, the German U21 national team will meet Japan (March 24) and Romania (March 28) in two friendlies. Although the squad has not yet been announced, it is already clear that one youngster will no longer be there: Lazar Samardzic. The 21-year-old attacking player has decided to change federations and will play for Serbia from now on – to the disappointment of his previous coach Antonio Di Salvo.
“We regret Lazar’s decision and it surprised us because until recently he had clearly committed to the DFB and the U21s,” said the 43-year-old to “Kicker”. On November 19, Samardzic was still on the pitch in the 4-2 win against Italy and scored the 2-0 win in the meantime. In September he had asserted on “Spox” and “Goal”: “I hardly dealt with that. I know there are inquiries, but I made it clear that I’m focused on Germany. I still have time to make a final decision, but for now my thoughts are only with the DFB.”
In total, the Udinese Calcio pro made 28 appearances for the German junior teams, five of them for the U21s. “We encouraged him as a younger player, placed a lot of trust in him and gave him match practice that Lazar repaid with performance,” Di Salvo continued. With a market value of 4.5 million euros, Samardzic was one of the 15 most valuable German players under the age of 21. He is now third in Serbia, while FC Torino’s Ivan Ilić, in second place, also celebrates his 22nd birthday on Friday and is therefore out of the rankings. Samardzic’s market value increases even further in the upcoming Serie A update on March 21.
Martel to Musiala: The most valuable German professionals up to the age of 21
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