SASA Curcic was cool about the prospect of facing David Platt and Dennis Bergkamp as he warmed up for his high-profile Burnden debut today, writes Gordon Sharrock.

The 23-year-old midfielder from Partizan Belgrade is ready to be plunged straight into Premiership action in Monday's Sky TV showdown with Bruce Rioch's star-studded Arsenal.

But the quality of the opposition doesn't deter the Yugoslav, who made his international debut at the age of 17 - in Brazil!

"I've come to Bolton to play and I'll let people judge me on my performances," said Curcic after completing the formalities of his £1.5 million record-equalling transfer.

Those performances at club and international level have led continental journalists to compare his playing style with Dutch Master Johann Cruyff - not surprising since the Serb lists the current Barcelona boss as his all-time footballing hero.

But Curcic is a modest young man and prefers to let his football do the talking."I don't like saying how I can play," he explains, "I prefer to let people see what I can do and make their own judgments.

"But maybe you could ask Savo Milosevic at Aston Villa. He would be the best man to ask."

Curcic scored 14 league and four cup goals from midfield as Partizan won the the double last season. He arrives in the Premiership understandably frustrated by his lack of international opportunities - just eight games in five years! Since the conflict divided the former Yugoslavia, the now diluted national side is the subject of an international embargo and can play only friendlies.

Curcic, who scored in his last international appearance - a 2-0 win in Greece last month - is the only member of the current Yugoslav side to have played for his country before the break-up, when they were one of the major forces in Europe.

"A lot of young players in my country want to play in big matches but can't because of the sanctions," he says sadly. "But I am grateful and honoured that Bolton are giving me the opportunity to play in such a premier division."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.