Nemanja Trifunovic knocking on the first team door

Nemanja Trifunovic is one of the Partizan youngsters boss Igor Duljaj added to the squad for a pre-season preps and 19-year-old put up a dazzling performance in a friendly against third-tier Slovenians Pesnica, scoring a goal and assist.

Talented winger won Serbian Youth League with Partizan to qualify for UEFA Youth League.

Did you adapt to senior team workload?

-I`ve loosen up since I started training with the first team. My teammates, younger and older, helped me. Of course, coaches take care of us a lot, said Trifunovic.

How did you find out you`ll join pre-season in Slovenia?

– I heard it from youth school directors first. Feeling was incredible and I phoned my parents to inform them about it straight away. They were thrilled and so happy for me.

What`s the difference between youth and senior football?

-I would say huge! We were told about it often and we were getting ready for such change but it`s all so more dynamic. You need so much more strength and energy and I can say it wasn`t easy at the beginning, I needed to pick the pace up.

Who in the senior team left the biggest impression on you and he helped you adapt the most?

-I have utter respect for all the players but it`s Danilo Pantic who left the best impressions on me. He knows so much about football game and he embraced us youngsters nicely. Pantic is the one who spends a lot of time with us, jokes with us and relaxes us. Ok, there are moments when he shouts at me but it`s about football only, as I`m often positioned next to him or further up the field. Samed Bazdar helped us a lot too. As someone who joined seniors some time ago he was there to advice us and explain us how we do things and when we do it.

You scored a goal and assisted in a first pre-season friendly. Are you happy with your performance against Pesnica?

-I was extremely happy after the game but injury to Janko Jevremovic casted a shadow on that match. I was thinking about him and I didn`t fully enjoy in my second half performance. But, it really means a lot to me how I played in that friendly.

You won title with Partizan youths and qualified for UEFA Youth League. How do you view last season now?

-Season with Partizan youths was incredible, coaches and players were exceptional and I`m free to say boys have plenty of talent. All that joined together gives you a final product – title won after 13-year drought. The title was our objective and we achieved it.

As a kid, did you think about playing for Partizan?

-I grew up in Cacak and didn`t think too much about other kklubs when I was a little boy. My dream was to play for Borac Cacak first team and a long-term thinking had to do with national team. But, when I moved to Belgrade, Partizan became my second family.

How hard was it for you to move to Belgrade?

-Process of getting used to Belgrade lasted six months, if not more. It was really hard for me to adjust to a different pace of life and football afterwards. At the beginning, I couldn`t get used to training sessions, picked up an injury as well, but I managed to overcome it all.

How do you see yourself this season in Partizan?

-I don`t think too much in advance, my aim is to finish pre-season in a proper manner, to remain healthy and do everything that`s up to me to present myself in a best fashion. But, to be honest, I think about first team sometimes. We have the best youth school in Europe and when you mention all the names that graduated from it, it`s logical that all of us youths knocking on the senior team door have such thoughts and energy to make it.

How would you celebrate your senior team debut and a goal scored in it?

-Without a doubt, I would run towards South stand straight away. I think it`s instinctive thing, the matter of badge, shirt and love for the club.

You are yet to make your official debut but you were on the sub`s bench last season. How did that feel?

-Although I didn’t make my debut, the feeling of just walking onto the pitch and warming-up is incredible but there`s tension too. For the first few minutes, I just glared at the stands, I wanted to see everything but I managed to get focused moments later.

How do you see yourself at this moment?

-I`m aware of my abilities but I`m also aware I have to work so much more. I have no problem saying, and I`m also aware, how much I need to advance in physical terms. I realized that especially when I started training with the first team and I started doing individual load after it.