Ivan Ilić
Country: Serbia
Date of birth: 17/03/2001 (16 years old)
Place of birth: Niš (Serbia)
Height: 182cm
Youth career: Real Niš, Red Star Belgrade (since 2016)
Current club: Red Star Belgrade
Squad number: 95
Current national team: Serbia U-17
Position: defensive midfielder, central midfielder
Preferred foot: left
Market value (by transfermarkt.de): 50.000 €
Tournaments participated in: 2017 UEFA European Under-17 Championship qualification elite round (3/0), 2017 UEFA European Under-17 Championship (2/0)
Contract until: 30.06.2019
Player’s agent: unknown
Transfer rumours: —
Similar type of player: Thiago Motta
Strengths:
– passing 
– tackling and intercepting
– teamwork
– vision
– tactical intelligence 
– athleticism 
– composure
– anticipation
– technique 
Weaknesses:
– his passing game might be a bit too risky and at times
– ambidexterity
Style of play:
– pivotal midfielder/regista
– player with good body mass ratio, physical strength, power, stamina and natural fitness who feels comfortable in contact situations
– likes to be fielded as a defensive midfielder, who looks to occupy the gap between the defence and midfield
– equally competent offensively as defensively
– thanks to his vision, great collective work rate and anticipation he is capable of playing in a variety of midfield roles in a defensive midfielder position or in a more advanced role if needed
– has good positional and tactical sense, often dropping back to the defensive line to double his teammates position if the situation requires it
– knows how to dictate tempo using his good vision, passing ability at all distances and natural technique to create dynamism on the team’s build-up process
– likes to spread play with good long-range diagonals
– skilful on the ball and calm under pressure
– concentrated player with very good reading of the game and anticipation
– very good at breaking down opposition plays due to his positional sense, defensive attributes, and tactical intelligence
– able to keep the ball under pressure and hold up play thanks to strong physique and technique
– determined in defensive phase with good anticipation sense to provide many key interceptions, clearences and tackles
– capable of surprising the opponents by charging forward into the attacking third and testing the goalkeeper
– fairly good in the air
– finds himself best in positional attack
– already very accomplished for his age
He is best suited to playing as:
Defensive midfielder in 4-1-4-1.
Video:
Achievements:
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League summary (as for 11 June 2017):
Serbian SuperLiga 2016/2017 (ongoing): 1 match/0 goals (Red Star)
Description:
Ivan Ilić joined famous Red Star Belgrade youth academy in 2016 from Real Niš. Soon after that he signed his first three-year professional contract with the club at the age of 15. He made his professional debut for Red Star on 1 April 2017 in a league fixture against Spartak Subotica, replacing Srđan Plavšić in the last minute of the game. He became the youngest debutant in the history of the club and first player born in 2001 who appeared in the Serbian SuperLiga. In 2017, he represented his country at the European U-17 Championship, where young Serbians’ failed to advance from a group containing Germany, Ireland and Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Quotes:
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Football Talent Scout potential rating:
9/10 
Player has potential to become a key player in a top European club.
Links: