Serbia’s association wants Pavlovic – Bayern talent is waiting for a decision

Will soon play for German U21

Aleksandar Pavlovic is one of the few bright spots at FC Bayern this season. The 19-year-old homegrown player, who has been with the club since 2011, has been an integral part of the professional squad since the 8-0 win against Darmstadt on matchday 9 and knows how to impress. The national team is now also an issue: Pavlovic made his debut with the German U20 in November, but also has the Serbia option on the table. And the Serbian association is trying hard to recruit Pavlovic, but he is taking his time making a decision.

Serbia coach Dragan Stojkovic wanted to nominate Pavlovic for the upcoming international matches in March, national team director Stevan Stojanovic revealed on the association website. They have been in contact with Pavlovic and his parents for “months”. There was also a personal meeting in Munich. The plan was to integrate the midfielder into the senior national team “in an adequate manner”. There is “no doubt” that he will be seen at this level.

But Pavlovic doesn’t want to commit yet. “We were told that Aleksandar does not want to make a final decision at the moment,” Stojanovic is quoted as saying. Pavlovic wants to take his time until after the European Championships. “We understand that. We will continue to monitor him and keep in touch. In the end we will see how the epilogue ends,” said Stojanovic. They wish Pavlovic good luck for the rest of the season and hope “that he will wear the Serbian jersey from autumn onwards”.

Pavlovic will most likely initially play for the German U21s. The TV channel “Sky“ reported that the talent will be nominated by national coach Antonio Di Salvo for the European Championship qualifiers against Kosovo and Israel. Accordingly, Di Salvo has watched Pavlovic live several times in recent weeks, most recently on Tuesday during Bayern’s Champions League duel with Lazio (3-0), in which Pavlovic was on the pitch for the entire 90 minutes. It was his 14th appearance for the professionals and the ninth time he was allowed to start.

There was praise from teammate Joshua Kimmich: “He is a boy who you can tell that he enjoys being on the pitch. He plays relaxed and fresh and wants to have every ball. I totally treat him. It’s no coincidence that it works this way. I also don’t see it taking off or having a big drop in performance. He shows what he can do on the pitch. That’s great, it’s fun to play football with him.”

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