Ivo Grbic signed for Atletico Madrid at the age of 24 after a successful spell at Lokomotiva Zagreb. It was clear that his role was going to be a secondary one to first-choice goalkeeper Jan Oblak but, this winter, he opted to leave Civitas Metropolitano to join Sheffield United.

In his second season in Spain, he went on loan to Lille to increase his playing time. He played 29 times for the French side and enjoyed his first spell with continuity in the big leagues. A season earlier, he had only been in the spotlight in one Copa del Rey match, so he was unable to even make his domestic debut, which came in the 2022/23 season.

Not that he was satisfied as he saw the first part of the current campaign go by without a single minute for him and asked for a change of destination. England has allowed him to enjoy himself in front of the fans three times already, against Brighton & Hove Albion in the FA Cup, Crystal Palace in the Premier League and Wolves.

He only missed the clash with the Seagulls in which Roberto de Zerbi's side won 5-0. His rival for the job, Wesley Foderingham, was in a worse position than he had been, putting his continuity in goal at Bramall Lane at risk.

Grbic could start against Mikel Arteta's Arsenal on Monday. The event presents an unmissable opportunity to showcase himself and prove that the youngster who starred for Hajduk Split and Lokomotiva Zagreb could be worthy of more than a back-up role at Atletico.

I. Grbić

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