Nastasic cut from Serbia´s final World Cup squad

Matija Nastasic is among the players cut from Serbia’s preliminary squad as coach Mladen Krstajic named his final 23-man selection for the World Cup.

Schalke centre-back Nastasic has been out of action for the past two months due to a knee ligament injury and was unable to prove his fitness in time to make the squad.

Also failing to make the grade from the preliminary group were midfielders Nemanja Maksimovic and Mijata Gacinovica, as well as goalkeeper Aleksandra Jovanovic.

Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic is among the stars included in the group, along with Manchester United’s Nemanja Matic, Dusan Tadic of Southampton and striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, who fired Fulham to Premier League promotion during a loan spell from Newcastle United.

Serbia’s final 23-man World Cup squad:

Marko Dmitrovic (Eibar), Predrag Rajkovic (Maccabi Tel Aviv), Vladimir Stojkovic (Partizan); Aleksandar Kolarov (Roma), Branislav Ivanovic (Zenit), Nikola Milenkovic (Fiorentina), Milan Rodic (Red Star Belgrade), Antonio Rukavina (Villarreal), Uros Spajic (Krasnodar), Dusko Tosic (Guangzhou R&F), Milos Veljkovic (Werder Bremen); Marko Grujic (Liverpool), Filip Kostic (Hamburg), Adem Ljajic (Torino), Nemanja Matic (Manchester United), Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (Lazio), Luka Milivojevic (Crystal Palace), Nemanja Radonjic (Red Star Belgrade), Dusan Tadic (Southampton), Andrija Zivkovic (Benfica); Luka Jovic (Eintracht Frankfurt), Aleksandar Mitrovic (Newcastle United), Aleksandar Prijovic (PAOK).