TOM COLLOMOSSE: Aston Villa are a little like Spurs when Luka Modric joined them – an ambitious club striving to break into the elite… but on their route to the top, the Villans shouldn’t take the Croatian’s old club Zrinjski lightly

• Aston Villa will play Luka Modric’s old side HSK Zrinjski Mostar on Thursday
• The Villans were beaten in their first Conference League clash vs Legia Warsaw
• Click HERE to listen to the latest episode of Mail Sport’s ‘It’s All Kicking Off’

Not many Aston Villa fans had heard of HSK Zrinjski Mostar a couple of months ago but mentioning the Bosnian club’s most famous former player would be sure to make them sit up and listen.

Luckily for Villa, Luka Modric will not be part of the Zrinjski side who visit Villa Park for Thursday’s Europa Conference League group-stage fixture, yet the Real Madrid star knows just how important his loan spell with the Bosnian club was in his journey to the top of the game.

With 28 trophies, 168 caps for Croatia and 10 individual awards including the 2018 Ballon d’Or to his name, Modric, now 38, can claim to be one of the greatest European footballers of all time.

Yet even the very best need their break and Modric had his with Zrinjski, where the midfielder took his first steps in the professional game as a 17-year-old during the 2003-04 season. Naturally, he was named player of the year.

‘If you can play in the Bosnian league, you can play anywhere,’ Modric has said. ‘It was great to spend time there.

Aston Villa will take on Luka Modric’s former side HSK Zrinjski Mostar in the Europa Conference League on Thursday

Unai Emery’s side were beaten in their opening match of the European competition 3-2 by Legia Warsaw

And they’ll take on Zrinjski this week, who defeated AZ Alkmaar 4-3 in their opening match

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‘It was where I toughened up. When you can adapt to the kind of physicality there, you can call yourself a real player.’

Zrinjski’s links with Croatia are strong. They were founded by Croats in 1905 and participated in a Croatian league during World War Two. Coach Krunoslav Rendulic is Croatian and has many compatriots in his squad.

They should not be taken lightly, either. On the opening matchday, while Villa were losing 3-2 at Legia Warsaw, Zrinjski fought back from 3-0 down at home to AZ Alkmaar to win 4-3. 

No mean feat against last season’s Europa League semi-finalists and proof Villa must be on their guard, especially given their uncertain form in cup football under Unai Emery.

A budding Modric in the team would make Villa’s life even harder. When Dinamo Zagreb sent him on loan to Zrinjski in summer 2003, Stjepan Deveric was his coach. 

‘I had worked with Luka before in the youth ranks at Dinamo so I already knew everything about him,’ he has said.

‘He had shown signs of great quality in the youth teams and when he came to Zrinjski, the story continued. He always behaved as an absolute professional.

‘He worked hard and you could see his progress every day with the naked eye, like when a building becomes taller.’

There is another tale that when Modric’s loan was arranged, a Dinamo associate called a counterpart at Zrinjski and said: ‘What’s the use of that little rascal? He’s too weak for your league.’ Unsurprisingly, nobody has ever put their name to that remark.

‘He found himself in heavy challenges but he was never afraid of them, despite his slight frame,’ Deveric recalled. ‘If you asked me whether I saw him as a future Ballon d’Or winner, I can’t say I did. Who could?

‘But it was clear he would become a great player, because he was developing in leaps and bounds. He always listened to the coach’s advice and had respect for it. If you take something from each coach, you gather a lot and complete yourself as a player.

‘What was always clear was his focus on reaching the top and he was never going to give up. Given his talent, he was always going to succeed with an attitude like that.’

Though Modric won nothing during his four-year spell with Tottenham, he impressed enough to earn a move to Real Madrid in 2012, and duly remained a key man for the Spanish giants for the next 11 years.

Villa were beaten 3-2 away against Warsaw on September 21, getting their European campaign off to a bad start

But this weekend they trounced Brighton in the Premier League, defeating the Seagulls 6-1

Villa have ambitions that are similar to those of Tottenham’s when Modric (middle) joined them from Dinamo Zagreb back in 2008

He left his mark on England, too. Modric starred when Croatia won at Wembley in 2007 to stop England qualifying for Euro 2008 and masterminded their downfall in the World Cup semi-final 11 years later.

As of right now, Villa are a little like Spurs when Modric joined them – an ambitious club striving desperately to break into the elite. 

When he replaced Steven Gerrard a year ago, Emery said his priority was to win a trophy but the victories over Hibernian in the qualifying round of this competition are his only ones in cup football to date. 

That record needs to improve if Villa are to justify their status as one of the favourites to lift the trophy next spring.

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