Richairo Zivkovic: The inside track on the former Ajax wonderkid on Sheffield United's radar

United boss Chris Wilder has been looking to bolster his attacking options for the second half of the season and his search has now taken him to China and former Holland under-21 international Zivkovic.

The 23-year-old marksman is expected to put pen to paper on a six-month deal at Bramall Lane after starring for Chinese second tier side Changchun Yatai for the past 11 months, where he has scored an impressive 16 goals in 26 appearances.

But plying his trade in the Far East at such a tender age was perhaps unthinkable when the Assen-born striker of Serbian and Curaçao descent burst onto the scene with Groningen in the Eredivisie seven years ago.

Back then big things were expected of Zivkovic, and it’s easy to say why.

As a 16-year-old he became Groningen’s youngest player ever in December 2012 and scored his first goal for the club on the opening day of the 2013-14 season – a campaign which saw him go onto score 11 goals in 33 outings.

It was those performances which led to him dubbed the ‘new Arjen Robben’ and attracting admiring glances from the likes of Real Madrid and Liverpool.

At the time, Zivkovic was considered to be one of the hottest properties in Dutch football and was described as a ‘bound-to-be-successful number nine prospect with world-class potential’.

But instead of being lured away from his native Holland, he signed a three-year contract with Ajax – famed for nurturing young talent – in the spring of 2014.

Speaking to Voetbal International after signing the teenager, Ajax coach Frank De Boer said: “He has all the qualities to be a good striker and has additionally become accustomed to Eredivisie football."With us he can take his next steps, for example with help from (coach) Dennis Bergkamp."His skill and pace even caught the eye of fans of the FIFA franchise and was seen as a must-have player for gamers on FIFA 15 and Football Manager.

However, after joining Ajax, Zivkovic struggled to make an impact.

Despite scoring 18 goals in 25 Eerste Divisie games for Jong Ajax – the club’s reserve team – Zivkovic struggled for game time at the Amsterdam ArenA.

He made just seven appearances, scoring once, in three seasons and was sent on loan to Willem II and FC Utrecht before signing for Belgium outfit KV Oostende in June 2017 – just a few years after being courted by Europe’s finest.

But despite not living up to his potential, what does Zivkovic offer?

Well, he certainly still has an eye for goal – as his form in China suggests – and has raw pace which will definitely keep Premier League defenders on their toes.

In fact, after scoring one goal during his loan spell at Utrecht, it was calculated Zivkovic had run 100 metres in a jaw-dropping 10.96 seconds – just 0.2 seconds slower than the 100m qualifying time for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

And with age still on his side and working for a manager like Wilder, known for helping players realise their potential, could the next stop on his unconventional footballing journey be the one where he finally fulfils his rich potential?