HE was once linked with the two most famous clubs in England.

Back in November 2012, the tabloid press believed Manchester United and Liverpool were preparing to slug it out for the services of a young Serbian midfielder.

Three years earlier, and aged just 17, the player had previously gone to Old Trafford for a trial – only for his dream move to be shattered due to work permit problems.

Last year he was linked with moves to Glasgow Celtic and Newcastle United.Now he has finally arrived in the Premier League.

And it will be a Saints shirt Filip Djuricic pulls out when he makes his bow in English football following Ronald Koeman’s loan signing of the Benfica man on transfer deadline day.

Fans will be eager to see the skills of a player once dubbed ‘the Balkan Cruyff’ – a heady comparison to draw with Koeman’s one-time Barcelona manager and one of the greatest names in football history.

Djuricic began his career with well known Serbian club Red Star Belgrade.

But he fell out of favour there, and, after a brief spell in Greece with Olympiakos, took his father’s advice and moved to the far less well known Radnicki Obrenovac.

It was with Obrenovac where Djuricic began forging his reputation and drew comparisons with Real Madrid midfielder Kaka.

Barely six months into his time at Obrenovac, Djuricic was invited to a trial at Manchester United after being spotted by their East European scout Budimir Vujacic.

Sir Alex Ferguson was urged to sign the 17 year-old, but UK work permit problems made the prospect impossible even though Djuricic impressed while training with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s reserve squad.

Djuricic arrived in Holland midway through the 2010/11 season, signing for Heerenveen, a top flight club from a small town of around 50,000 people.

He started 11 of his club’s 34 Dutch League games in 2011/12, his first full season in the Erevidisie.

He came off the bench on 12 other occasions, scoring twice.

Djuricic was an ever present the following season, starting all 34 Erevidisie games as Herenveen finished a highly impressive fifth.

They were only six points adrift of Ronald Koeman’s Feyenoord.Prior to the last day, they were only three points behind – but Koeman’s side won 3-2 at Heerenveen to seal runners-up spot.

Djuricic was joint second top scorer with ten goals, while striker Bas Dost blasted 32 in 34 starts to finish at the top of the Dutch League goal charts.

He made his debut for the senior Serbian side in a friendly against Cyprus in February 2012.

Djuricic came of age on the international scene in 2012/13.

He started all but two of Heerenveen’s league games, scoring seven times.

Two of those goals were penalties, including the leveller against Koeman’s Feyenoord in a 1-1 early season draw.

Djuricic had a new manager for his third full season at Heerenveen, Koeman’s former Dutch international colleague and fellow Netherlands legend Marco Van Basten.

Saints’ new Serbian star certainly enjoyed his time under the former striker.

“Under this trainer we play really attacking football, which was one of the reasons for me to stay at Heerenveen this season,” he said.

“He has helped me settle and get along with everyone here.”

During the 2012/13 season Djuricic scored his first goal for Serbia’s senior side in a 6-1 thrashing of Wales in a World Cup qualifier in October 2012.

He netted again in a friendly against Chile the following month.

A few months later he struck both of his country’s goals in a 2-0 World Cup qualifying win against Gordon Strachan’s Scotland.

Such form alerted clubs outside of Holland.

Though AC Milan were linked, in addition to Manchester United and Liverpool, Djuricic signed for Portuguese giants Benfica in the summer of 2013 for a fee of six million Euros.

However, he was to make only 11 league appearances for the club in his debut season – six of them off the bench.

He was to make as many starts, five, in European ties for Benfica as he did in the league.

Djuricic, however, made an instant impact on his Champions League debut against Anderlecht, scoring after just four minutes in a 2-0 home win.

He started the next Champions League tie, a 3-0 loss at Paris St Germain, but was taken off at half-time.

Djuricic played one more Champions League game, and three more in the Europa League after Benfica’s group stage exit.

After a frustrating first season in Portugal, Djuricic was loaned to German Bundesliga club Mainz last summer.

He started the first game of the season, but was subbed in the second half and then dropped to the bench for the next match.

In all, Djuricic only started six league games for Mainz, and didn’t complete any of them, in addition to his five sub outings.

The last time Saints’ new signing completed a full 90 minutes was for Benfica in a Europa Leage tie against PAOK Salonika on February 20 last year – almost exactly a year ago.

Now he is the latest former Erevidisie player to be signed by Koeman as part of his potentially historic St Mary’s revolution.

He follows Graziano Pelle, Serbian colleague Dusan Tadic, Toby Alderweireld and Eljero Elia as having played against Koeman’s Feyenoord or PSV sides in recent years.