Serbia v England sparks memories of Charlton Athletic, Tottenham transfer: View | OneFootball

England's opening game of Euro 2024 against Serbia featured a former Charlton Athletic player.

Two former Charlton Athletic players featured in England's opening game of Euro 2024, but only one of them was representing the Three Lions.

England kicked off their Euro 2024 campaign with a 1-0 win over Serbia at the Veltins Arena on Monday, as they look to go one better than they did at the most recent UEFA European Championship when they were defeated by Italy in the final.

Jude Bellingham's first half header was enough to see off Serbia, who didn't make things easy for Gareth Southgate's men but just lacked that cutting edge in the final third to really threaten the group favourites.

Charlton fans will have noticed that former Addick Conor Gallagher, who spent the first half of the 2019/20 season on loan at The Valley from Chelsea, made his first appearance of the tournament from the bench during England's win.

However, they might have been unaware that he was not the only ex-Charlton player on the pitch, as Serbia's lineup also included a man who used to play in SE7.

Serbia have a former Charlton player

Even the most dedicated Charlton supporter could be forgiven for not recognising Serbia's number 13 on Monday, despite the fact that he used to play for the South Londoners.

Milos Veljkovic, who was part of Serbia's back three against England, joined Charlton on loan from Tottenham Hotspur as a teenager in January 2015. The Addicks were around mid-table in the Championship at the time of his arrival and had sacked manager Bob Peeters nine days earlier.

Veljkovic played three games in the second tier for Charlton – draws against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Rotherham United, as well as a defeat against Middlesbrough – where he had spent time on loan earlier in the season.

Unfortunately for the defender, who played as a holding midfielder during his short stint with Charlton, a shoulder injury ruled him out for most of his stay at The Valley.

He spoke to The Independent in 2015 about his time on loan at Charlton:

Veljkovic said: "I spoke with the manager (Guy Luzon) before I signed, and he told me I was going to play. Then I played three games, and in the third, I injured my shoulder. I wanted to get 10 or 20 games there until the end of the season. So it was difficult, more mentally difficult than painful."

Charlton went on to finish 12th in the Championship at the end of the 2014/15 season. The Addicks had some exciting players that season, including Igor Vetokele, Johann Berg Gudmundsson and Frederic Bulot.

Veljkovic has enjoyed a successful career

After leaving Charlton and returning to Tottenham, Veljkovic made just two appearances in the Premier League before signing for Werder Bremen in 2016.

The 28-year-old has racked up more than 200 appearances for the German club, as well as achieving 31 caps for Serbia.

Werder Bremen finished ninth in the Bundesliga this season, narrowly missing out on European football ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.

Veljkovic may not have had a big impact during his time at Charlton, but he is clearly a quality player and has shown that since his departure from The Valley.