Alexander Milosevic was disappointed not to have earned a call-up to the Sweden squad, after returning to first team action with Nottingham Forest.
But the defender hopes he will earn an international recall, if he can maintain his progress under Martin O’Neill.
And, in the meantime, he is enjoying maintaining one relationship with his home country – as fans of former club AIK continue to bombard him with messages of support, as he begins a new chapter of his career in Nottingham.
Milosevic did play for Sweden in January, shortly before signing for Forest, when he started a friendly game against Finland, before then coming off the bench against Iceland.
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But he was not called up by coach Jan Andersson for the latest round of European Championship qualifiers and did not play a part in the 2-1 win over Romania and will not be involved when they play in Norway tonight.
“To be honest, I feel as though I deserved to be there. But I was just disappointed not to be,” said Milosevic, who has won seven caps for Sweden, after previously representing the country at under-19, under-21 and under-23 level.
“My home is here in Nottingham and the most important thing for me is to win games here. Everything else will follow.”
Milosevic secured the Swedish title with AIK in November, before becoming a free agent at the end of his contract – and joining the Reds in January.
He has been delighted with the welcome he has been given by Forest fans – but also by the fact AIK supporters continue to monitor his progress.
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“There are so many AIK supporters who write me messages on Twitter, to say that they are following me in Nottingham,” said Milosevic. “They tell me that Forest are now their new favourite team, over here.
“I am very happy about that. Perhaps the Nottingham fans can invite them over to a game here and show them English culture?
“Maybe the two clubs could play a friendly in the summer. That would be massive!”
