Exclusive: Srna Backs Spurs' Vuskovic for Stardom as Croatia Prepare for England

Vuskovic, a Tottenham player who spent last season on loan at HSV in Germany, is one of the most talked-about young defenders around, with Brighton now reportedly keen to sign him. Srna has no doubt about the scale of his talent, and the connection runs deep, going back to his own playing days in Croatia.

"I know Luka from when he was a child because I played in the youth categories at Hajduk Split with his father, Danijel. He is a very good friend of mine. I know Luka Mario, his two sons. They are amazing kids with amazing talent," Srna told Flashscore.

The praise for the Spurs prospect was glowing. "Luka has already shown that he will have an amazing future. He plays with so much confidence that I have the feeling he is a 25-year-old player. For sure, he is part of the future of European football and of the Croatian national team."

Vuskovic could yet have a part to play in what Srna expects to be a tight contest. The former Croatia full-back and captain holds England's manager in high regard.

"I know Tuchel very well as a coach. I respect him a lot. Of course, he is one of the best coaches in the world. He showed it at Chelsea," Srna said. "I do not know how he will be with the national team in the World Cup, but he of course deserves great respect, and the entire England team as well."

He does not think the clash has a clear favourite. "As Croatian people, we respect England, but I think it will be a very difficult match for both sides. Chances are 50-50 because Croatia is a very good and balanced team, with a lot of experience and young players as well. It will be a very interesting game for me," Srna expects.

Croatia arrive with a remarkable recent pedigree, having finished third and second at the last two World Cups, but the Shakhtar icon was keen to keep expectations in proportion.

"Croatia managed to get amazing results in the last five or six years, and of course we are very confident. We have a very good team, like I said, a balanced team," Srna, capped 134 times by Croatia which he captained for seven years, told Flashscore.

"It is not fair to put pressure on Croatia because we are a small country and, of course, we cannot achieve amazing results at every World Cup or European Championship. We must enjoy watching Croatia's games and we must support them until the end. But Croatia is a very dangerous national team for everyone."

Recent friendly defeats to Brazil and Belgium have raised questions, but Srna was quick to draw a line between warm-ups and the real thing.

"Friendly games are friendly games, but this is an official match. I know the coach (Zlatko Dalic) analysed those friendly games very well, and he will do everything we need to play well against England, let us say it like that," he argued. "He is an experienced coach, and we trust him. We believe in him. And like I said, it will be a very, very interesting game."

Srna spent 15 years of his playing career with Shakhtar and stayed with the Ukrainian team even after hanging up his boots. In 2019, he became an assistant manager before moving on to his current role of sporting director.

His loyalty to Shakhtar and his second home Ukraine remains unshaken even through more than four years of Russia's invasion.

"I am doing all I can to help people in Ukraine," he said. "In order to do so, I am supporting Shakhtar owner Rinat Akhmetov and his Foundation. It is the biggest foundation during the war that helped a lot of people: army people, children who lost their home, older families," Srna said.

"I think that he has bought more than 300 apartments across Ukraine for people who lost their homes. He will not stop. He does this from the heart because he is Ukrainian, he respects his country, and he will stand with the Ukrainian people until the end. He will always be there for them and I am very happy that Ukraine has someone like Akhmetov," Srna added.

Watch our previous interview with Darijo Srna too: