Milot Rashica     20     Midfielder     Vitesse     Kosovo

Skinny

Nimble, tricky Vitesse winger-cum-attacking midfielder with a wonderful sense of balance. 
Born in Vučitrn in the Former Republic of Yugoslavia, as was, Rashica was well known to European scouts as a young teenager and turned down a move to Belgian side KAA Gent in 2013 following a successful trial there. Further interest from several Bundesliga sides came to nothing and the youngster returned home to make his professional debut for Llamkos Kosova during the 2013-14 season as the steel magnate backed Vushtrri side seized their first ever league title ahead of the KF Prishtina.  Scoring twice in five appearances as his club romped to a milestone championship, the seventeen year old enhanced his reputation considerably across 2014 and attracted the attention of a number of clubs across Europe.  In September that year, Vitesse Arnhem secured his transfer following a trial period and Rashica accepted a three year deal with Vitas the following February.

Rashica made his Eredivisie debut in August 2015, starting and providing an assist as Denys Oliynyk secured a late equaliser in a 1–1 away draw against Willem II. A string of impressive performances would follow as the combative Kosovar began to find his feet in the Netherlands, hitting the back of the net seven times in seventeen league starts, including a five goal blast in three matches which lifted Vitesse to fourth in the table at the start of this year.

2016 has been…

Ultimately, disappointing.  A knee injury in late January curtailed something of a purple patch for both Vitesse and their teenage midfield star. Rashica would only miss three matches, and while he laid on two goals on returning in a 3-0 victory over Heerenveen, Rashica never quite picked up the same momentum as his side drifted to a lower than expected mid-table finish.

Two appearances for Albania between March and May suggested that Rashica may have been selected for Albania’s ultimately fruitless Euro 2016 campaign, however his late season form was less than convincing and Gianni De Biasi overlooked the Arnhem based player in his final squad selection.

While time is on his side, the disappointment of missing out on a major tournament will have impacted Rashica and may have had a bearing on his swift decision to switch international allegiances to Kosovo once UEFA had approved his home nation’s acceptance into the latest round of World Cup Qualifying matches.

What’s next?

A step back up to the plate would be nice – Milot Rashica has lost his way somewhat this year having been well monitored by Europe’s great and good for a considerable period of time.  In many ways 2016-17 should really his breakthrough season but form has been patchy at best and Rashica looks far from the player many believed he would develop into. Blind runs and poor decision making have been standout features at a time where goals and assists should be consistently present. With the talented Russian Arshak Koryan breathing down his neck for a first team place at Vitesse, Rashica really needs to get moving.  And fast.

C-   An international debut – twice – but collapsing form does not bode well