Keep an eye on: Dario Dumic

He was only 17-years-old when he changed the safe environment in Hvidovre with an adventure in Norwich City. Today, he Danish-Bosnian back in Danish football and representing Brøndby IF.

Norwich City saw the potential in Dario Dumic when they brought him to the east of England in 2008, and provided him with a 3-year contract. The Dane - at the time a midfielder - was meant to play with the U18 and reserves. However, after just one year as a youth, Dumic was promoted to the senior squad and had his debut against Swindon Town.

“I hadn’t expected to be playing because, at the time,  we had just gotten a new manager. The manager who promoted me to the first team squad was sacked after we lost 7-1 in our first match of the season. So I hadn’t expected to be playing – I was in the squad – but didn’t expect to be playing, so it was great,” the talent says.

While, Dumic joined Norwich as a midfielder, he had his debut as a defender. After his first month in Norwich,  the Director of the academy wanted to try Dumic out in the central defence.

“There was no hocus pokus about it; I tried it in one match and I did well. I then tried one more time and did well and then suddenly I was a defender,” Dumic says.

Only a year after his debut, Dario Dumic decided it was time to head back to Denmark and joined Brøndby on a free transfer. The defender was not a part of the 1st team squad in Norwich, and Brøndby offered an escape path. Furthermore, the talent felt that his development had stalled, and Brøndby had a reputation of developing young players.

"There was no idea of staying in Norwich if I was to train with the U19's; I could do that in Denmark, as well. I had also lost the passion for football at the time, because of the play style in Norwich," Dumic says and explains  "It was much kick and rush football, and as a young player I didn’t feel it helping my development.“

In Brøndby Dario Dumic started playing with the U19, with who he won the Danish Championship, and the reserves. Furthermore, he became a regular part of the Danish U19 national team. He was quickly promoted to the Superliga squad where he was given his debut against Silkeborg in 2011. The young defender was sent on the pitch in the 89th minute of the 1-0 victory.

Despite, playing most of his career as a midfielder or defender, Dario Dumic has often been sent up front if Brøndby has been a goal behind in the dying minutes of a match. The habit of sending Dumic up front began when he played for the Brøndby reserves, and the talent is sure that Auri Skabalius [Brøndby Manager] must have seen it as it continued when he was promoted to the Superliga squad.

Dumic has so far had 37 matches and scored 4 goals for the Danish youth national teams. However, Dario Dumic is born in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina and is not closing the door for a national career for the Balkan country.

“As I haven’t played any matches for Denmark which locks me to the nation, I am still open for representing Bosnia. I’m born in Bosnia; my parents are born in Bosnia, so I love the country," Dumic says.

However, the defender is stressing that he is not about to take the decision in the near future as he doesn't feel he is relevant for any of the teams at the moment.

Instead, Dumic is concentrating on helping Brøndby in a time where financial problems and relegation is threatening the club's existent. At the same time, the talent is hoping to make it abroad again but stress that Brøndby is the first priority at the moment.

"It is not something I think about because we are in a hard situation in Brøndby, which we have to take care of, and I don’t feel I have had my breakthrough in the Superliga yet,” Dumic says about his future.

Dario Dumic and Brøndby are currently positioned third-from-bottom in the Danish Superliga, but can bring some distance from the relegation with a win against Randers FC tomorrow.