The former Croatian international and coach Igor Štimac appeared on the Podcast Inkubator, where he drew the attention of the current Croatian manager, Slaven Bilić, to two players from Zrinjski. Štimac stated confidently that the club has two players who could be considered by Bilić.
The players in question are on the wing, described by Štimac as vertical, skilled with the ball, energetic, and capable of repeating high-intensity actions, with a top speed of 36 km/h. He added that he had seven players with such speed in his own squad.
Štimac was referring to young Karlo Abramović and Antonio Ilić, with particular emphasis on the 21-year-old Ilić. According to Šimac, Ilić has already been considered by Olić.
Ilić, despite offers from other associations, has chosen the Croatian national team. He received calls from the Austrian U-teams and Bosnia and Herzegovina, but stated that he wishes to play for Croatia and has signed a document to that effect.
Abramović, on the other hand, is a 26-year-old wing attacker who joined Zrinjski in the summer of 2025 from Croatian side Jarun. So far, he has scored seven goals and provided 11 assists for the club.
