“I may not have been ready” – Player suggests move to Manchester City was a mistake

Atlético Madrid’s Stefan Savić has admitted a move to Manchester City came at the wrong time in his career.

The Serbian came up through the ranks of BSK Borča’s academy and joined FK Partizan in 2010. His performances for the latter convinced the Citizens to sign the defender a year later.

He made 20 appearances in his only full season at the Etihad and then made a switch to Fiorentina on deadline day of the 2012 summer transfer window. It was in Serie A the centre-back established himself, which helped the 31-year-old get a move to Atlético.

Savić has been a regular under Diego Simeone’s orders and is expected to feature against Manchester United in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 tie at the Wanda Metropolitano.

Ahead of the tie between the two sides, Spanish newspaper AS interviewed the player. During the course of the discussion, Savić was quizzed about his time at City.

“It was very important for me, because I came directly from the Serbian league and it was a big step in my career. Looking back, I may not have been ready for the Premier League at the time, it was a very big jump,” Savić said.

“But it was a very good experience, I played just over 20 games and it helped me gain experience, grow as a footballer and as a man.”

“At that time, I didn’t see myself ready to play there and I decided to go to Italy. I grew a lot for three years and it helped me to sign for Atlético.”