Southampton sign Benfica's Djuricic on loan

London (AFP) - Southampton signed Benfica's Serbian international midfielder Filip Djuricic on loan until the end of the season on Monday.

Saints boss Ronald Koeman moved for Djuricic after mounting injury problems and Jack Cork's move to Swansea left him short of options in midfield.

The 23-year-old was available after ending a loan spell at German team Mainz, so Koeman swooped to bolster his squad, currently fourth in the Premier League, for their push to qualify for the Champions League

"I know the player (Djuricic) from Holland," Koeman told Southampton's YouTube channel. "He played several seasons for Heerenveen and then he moved to Benfica.

"It's a young player, he's technical, fast and he can play in different positions in the midfield. He can play on the left side and the right side.

"It's part of the philosophy of the club; young players. He was in a difficult situation, he was on loan at Mainz and we will take him on loan for the rest of the season."

Djuricic played for several teams in Serbia before moving to Dutch club Heerenveen and then Benfica, who loaned him to Mainz for the first half of this season.

He made 12 appearances in all competitions for the Germans before linking up with Serbia team-mate Dusan Tadic at Southampton.