BANANAS SPLIT
The Barca star who unearthed Juranovic for Hajduk reckons it’s absolutely crazy that Celts have landed him for only £2.6m and believes he’ll be hit at Hoops
Breaking into the first team proved a near-impossible mission with the threeforeigner rule given Luis Figo, Gheorghe Hagi, Ronald Koeman, Michael Laudrup, Romario and Hristo Stoichkov featured among the stars at the Nou Camp in the 90s.
The fact he was signed in the first place, though, proves Vucevic was a top player.
So his decision to take a scouting trip as sporting director at Hajduk Split to watch little fourth division side Dubrava and immediately identify Josip Juranovic as a star of the future speaks volumes for the talents of Celtic’s £2.6million signing. Vucevic, who had been interim boss before moving upstairs, presented the new talent to coach Stanko Poklepovic.
He promptly put him in the third team.
Four months later, when Poklepovic was binned and Vucevic had to take over again as caretaker, he instantly sorted that by promoting the player to the top-team squad.
Juranovic was only a teenager but the ex-Barca midfielder had seen enough.
He’s been proved correct ever since with his eye finding a player who moved on to Legia Warsaw, into the Croatia national team and now to
Celtic in a rise that has not shocked him one bit.
The 50-year-old said: “I was everything in Hajduk at various stages and the sporting director at the time when I signed Juranovic.
“He was playing at the time for a club called Dubrava.
“They are a smaller club who I’m sure at the time were playing in the fourth division.
“I went to see him play for them and from the very first moment he was a different player from the rest of the guys who were on the pitch.
“Actually, he was a midfield player at that time, not a rightback like he is at the moment.
“He was so good in the middle of the pitch.
“He was just different from the rest because he had a lot of power but he also had the technical ability, which was very good.
“At that time we didn’t have a lot of money available at Hajduk to sign players but I caught sight of him at Dubrava and we got him.
“It was immediate that he was very professional as a footballer and also his character was excellent.
“He was able to settle into us very quickly with no problem because of that character and nothing has changed with him in that respect.”
Two things spring out from Vucevic. First, the tactical side.
Having noted Juranovic as a midfielder when he was one himself has significance given the style Ange Postecoglou has adopted.
The Aussie’s system, which demands full-backs narrow into the middle of the park, requires different abilities from normal full-back duties.
Vucevic said: “Josip has an ability to play in all positions and he always gives his best.
“In each training session he would offer 100 per cent to the group and it would be the same for matches.
“Sometimes he had some slight injuries or problems with fitness but, even when he did, he would always say that he wanted to play.
“That’s what I mean about an excellent character.”
Second is the ability to settle
Josip was different because he had a lot of power but also his technical
into a new club. Vucevic has no doubts the 26-year-old will adapt to life in Glasgow and that Postecoglou will have a squad star he can count upon.
Juranovic’s former gaffer’s revelation he would play through injuries without hesitation is encouraging for fans in terms of availability.
And Vucevic reckons coping with a change in surroundings as well as orders will be met with little disruption from his former charge.
He added: “Josip has seen a lot of change during his career in terms of clubs and coaches.
“I would say he has now played for around six coaches and each one of them likes him because he is that type of guy a manager wants to have – the one who will play everywhere, the one who will play when he’s not 100 per cent fit, the one who will keep running until the 90th minute.
“He offers everything and it is for these reasons that today he is a player of the national team and has now made a big move to Celtic.
“It is because the work he does is so good. He is one special guy.”
That comment makes Vucevic wonder how on earth Celtic managed to get him out of Legia for such a meagre outlay, with the player signing a five-year deal. He said: “It is very cheap. I cannot understand the price. It is very good for Celtic.”
Downsides appear minimal listening to Vucevic but he does suggest Celtic may not see the absolute best of the versatile defender until he’s had time to properly grow
into his surroundings.
He said: “The initial spell is always difficult for a player when he goes to a new country or a new team.
“It won’t be any different for him. I’m sure that during this first year he is going to be good but moving on from that into the future, he is just going to get better and better.”
ability was very good