Richairo Zivkovic reveals why he is determined to earn a permanent deal with Sheffield United
Richairo Zivkovic has set his sights on earning a permanent contract with Sheffield United after revealing how he grew up in Holland dreaming of playing in the Premier League.
The 23-year-old signed on loan from Changchun Yatai for the rest of the season, and his contract contains a clause giving United the option to make the move a permanent one.
Zivkovic has yet to feature for United but could get a chance of a debut next week when United travel to Reading in the FA Cup.
And the Dutchman revealed: "My last game was in November but my fitness is better than I expected. The levels here are higher so I have to adapt to that, but the main thing is the physical side of things and the conditioning of the body.
"I see this as my long-term home though, for sure. As a kid I watched Match of the Day with my father. The Premier League is a dream for me and I'm happy to be a part of it. I'm not planning to leave."
Zivkovic, who left China before the Coronavirus outbreak, also boasts spells at clubs including Ajax and FC Utrecht on his footballing CV.
"In China, football isn’t the main thing," he added.
"There are a lot of people but the stadiums are sometimes not full and empty. I missed the feeling of football being everything.
"Here, it is. People recognise you here and that didn’t happen in China. Sheffield’s a good city and I am looking forward to getting going."