‘He is going to score goals at this level’ – Millwall club record signing Ivanovic earns praise from fellow striker

Macaulay Langstaff has praised Mihailo Ivanovic’s adaptation to life in England – and Millwall.

The Lions splashed a club-record transfer fee on the 19-year-old striker at the end of the summer window.

Ivanovic has since been called up to the last two Serbian squads. He had to withdraw from the first one due to injury issues and then was an unused sub for their latest round of Nations League fixtures in the current international break.

The former Vojvodina forward made his Millwall debut as a late substitute at QPR on September 21.

Ivanovic has since come on shortly after the hour mark in their next three Championship fixtures since then.

“He has settled in really well,” said Langstaff, also a new recruit in the last transfer window from Notts County. “It must be difficult. I can only imagine, coming to a new country and new environment – even myself, moving from Gateshead to Nottingham and then down to London, is a big change.

“I admire how he has been and handled it.

“The lads love him. He is pretty quiet but the lads have really taken to him.

“It might take time, because he is really young, but he has so much ability.

“We’ve seen it at West Brom, he comes on and has a couple of headers in the box. He is a physical specimen – he’s huge and aggressive with it. He puts himself about and causes havoc if the ball is put in the box.

“He gives a different dimension. We’ve got four strikers, a couple out injured, but Mihailo is different because you can play it to his chest, he’ll hold the ball and he will win fouls – he’ll have a bit with defenders.

“That is good, you need that. I’m physically nowhere near the stature of Mihailo and I’m a different player. It can be a different though process for the other defenders because they have now got a guy who will smash into them, win headers, get his arms up.

“He’s been really unlucky not to get his first goal. The game at home, Preston, he came on for me and had a left foot chance – really good connection and finish. It’s a great save from the keeper.

“You can see that he is going to score goals at the level and be a real handful for defenders.”

See Friday’s South London Press for a full interview with Langstaff.