International considers role away from football pitch after Portsmouth exit as wait for club continues for former Nottingham Forest man
The former Besiktas man is a ‘living legend’ with Swedish side AIK Stockholm. He may now be about to consider a new role, after not finding a new playing home after leaving Fratton Park.
He arrived with Pompey’s Championship status in a precarious position and injuries threatening to compound concerns over their place in the division.
Alexander Milosevic was the player who came in last March as a free agent, with issues in the middle of defence piling up for John Mousinho’s men.
No new club for Alexander Milosevic after Pompey exit
The former Sweden international immediately offered a positive presence among the squad, as he looked to build his fitness in readiness for being thrown into the Blues’ survival fight.
In the final reckoning, a calf issue and other options coming back into the fray meant the man seen as a ‘living legend’ with former club AIK Stockholm was never called upon.
Milosevic left Fratton Park in the summer with the thanks of all at Pompey, as the 33-year-old sought a new home as his playing days edged to a conclusion. Five months on from that news being confirmed with the publication of the Blues retained list, the former Nottingham Forest man is still on the lookout for a new playing base, however.
And not finding a suitable place to craft his trade on the pitch may now be about to prompt a new role for Milosevic away from it.
The man who served AIK as skipper is being considered for a new role with the club’s scouting department, according to reports. Milosevic is said to be in the running to take on a position overseeing identifying young talent for the club’s academy.
Talks are continuing over the position, according to Sportbladet, which would naturally point towards the centre-back calling time on a 16-year playing career which has also seen spells in Denmark, Turkey and Germany.
Speaking of his Pompey stay at the end of last season, Mousinho referenced Milosevic’s presence around the club and the positive influence the player had on the playing group.
He said: ‘Alex has been really unlucky. He wanted to play, we wanted him to play, but unfortunately it didn’t work out. We thought it was the best thing to do - and if you gave me the option to do that again I would do exactly the same thing.
‘We actually had a conversation after the Millwall game about whether we would play him at centre-half for Coventry, we thought it would be a good introduction for him.
Former Forest man ‘big influence’ with Pompey
‘We’d had a couple of defensive issues, I thought we lost too many headers against Millwall to warrant winning the game, so let’s get the dominant centre-half in. Unfortunately Alex pulled up after the Millwall game while doing his work.
‘The one thing I would say about Alex is he hasn’t set foot on the pitch, but he’s been a big influence around the place. Having an international here, having that calm head and still being involved, we are very, very grateful for that.
‘When we were looking at signing him, we asked the board for extra funds and the answer was: “Absolutely you do what you need to do” - as it always is. That was over and above the budget.
‘However, our take to them was that it might be wasted, we might get through the rest of the season without needing to use this player. But we’re bringing a player in to use him if we can.
‘It wasn’t like we paid a fee, we just needed an extra body, we needed someone who we knew would be good if he came in and played. Unfortunately Alex got injured, but there was nothing lost from our standpoint.’