Jovanovic Still Settling In

Milan Jovanovic is hoping Liverpool supporters will be patient with him as he settles in at Anfield.

The Serbia international moved to Merseyside over the summer and has been thrown straight into the action by Reds boss Roy Hodgson.

He has not looked out of place so far, but feels there is still much more to come from him in the near future.

Jovanovic knows it will take time to acclimatize to a new country and a new way of life, but he is confident it will not take long for him to hit top gear.

He is taking inspiration from the gradual progress made by his fellow countrymen, Manchester United's Nemanja Vidic and Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic, and hopes he will soon be following in their illustrious footsteps.

"I maybe need to be stronger and think more quickly to fit in," Jovanovic told The Independent.

"It will take time and it has happened to all the players from my country who have come to England. It happened to Branislav Ivanovic and it happened to Vidic. For the first six months they hardly played any games.

"I have to prepare for that and be at my best as quickly as possible. But I have come here having already played against English teams so I know what to expect."

Jovanovic is determined to make a name for himself in English football, as he accepts that few Premier League supporters will know much about him.

He does have UEFA Champions League experience from his time at Standard Liege, and graced this summer's World Cup finals, but appreciates that his career path has kept him out of the limelight.

"I am not sure if people in England know of my performances," Jovanovic added.

"That's normal because I played in the Belgian League and English people aren't going to find that interesting. It is only a small competition but Liege played in the Champions League and the Europa League and were very successful. We beat Everton and, if I doubted my ability, I would never have come here."