I have a mate who’s a match-going, die-hard fan, knows some people who work for their club as well (which is not difficult in these parts, as you know all too well). My mate’s a genuine guy and I’ve always been inclined to believe what he says - and he says that virtually every top club has been sending scouts for a while to watch Maksimović and a few other youth players from Crvena Zvezda (he name-checked him and a couple of others before they made their senior debuts).
He was pretty blunt about the kid’s future at the club - he will be sold to the highest bidder, that’s the way the things are here. He can’t even celebrate his breakthrough at the club, which is a pretty tragic thing (something similar happened with Kosta Nedeljković, who’s with Aston Villa now), though he hopes he’ll stay with the club until the end of the season, regardless of whether he’s sold in January.
I actually started watching the kid on his recommendation and I can tell you, as far as the eye test goes, he’s the real deal, I don’t think Serbia have ever had such a well rounded talent. It’s not his technical ability that caught my eye initially but his tenacity. He tracks back and presses with aggression, which used to be a non-existent trait in players from these parts.
I’d compare him to a quicker and more nimble version of Elliott - he can play on the flanks but I’m convinced that his future will be in a central role because he likes to have the ball and make things happen (no. 10 would be a natural role for him).
If he knows what’s good for him, he’ll avoid the direct route to one of the biggest clubs and choose a club that will actually give him minutes and develop him. I don’t see how he’d be able to do that at Liverpool, to be honest, but again, I doubt he’ll have much of a say about his next club.
