The ex-Fiorentina striker has rediscovered his goal-scoring touch despite being relegated to the role of reserve in Turin

Dusan Vlahovic grew up idolising Zlatan Ibrahimovic. When he broke into the Partizan Belgrade senior squad as a 16-year-old, he even told his new team-mates that he was going to be Serbia's answer to the Swedish superstar born of Balkan parents.

So, when Vlahovic's Fiorentina met Ibrahimovic's AC Milan in March 2021, the Viola forward approached his hero after the game and asked for his shirt. Ibrahimovic obliged, and even signed it for him. He also added a little message, though: "Keep going and never give up."

Those words have stood Vlahovic in good stead ever since, and particularly during his past year at Juventus. Indeed, resilience is the main reason why a player who was being booed by his own club's fans less than a month ago represents the greatest threat to England's hopes of maintaining their winning start to their World Cup qualification in Belgrade on Tuesday...