Has any footballer bounced back quite as well as Dusan Tadic in recent memory?

At Southampton, the Serbian forward was stagnating after initial success with the Saints, which saw him once notch four assists in one game versus Sunderland.

Many fans of the club were probably glad to see the back of him when he was sold to Ajax for around £15m in 2018, but they're probably green with envy these days.

That's because Tadic has recorded numbers in the Eredivisie that are up there with the likes of Lionel Messi.

In his 49 games so far in Holland's top-flight, the 31-year-old has scored 35 goals and assisted another 26.

Sixty-one - SIXTY-ONE - goal involvements in 49 appearances. Even in a team as good as Ajax are right now that's just outrageous.

Tadic averages 1.23 goals or assists per game in the Eredivisie and in his 15 appearances in 2019/20, he has scored seven times and assisted 12 more.

Just the 1.26 goals or assists per game this season for Tadic...

To put things into perspective, in the Serbian's last two Premier League campaigns with Southampton, he scored nine times and recorded nine assists in 69 games - 0.26 goals or assists per game.

That 20th place finish in the Ballon d'Or was certainly merited!

ANALYSIS

GIVEMESPORT'S Danny Ryan says:

If you struggle in the Premier League, it doesn't mean that player lacks quality - far from it.

Tadic is living proof that escaping the eyes of the English media and the unfair pressure bestowed on players in the world's most watched league can galvanise a career.

Some people will say; but it's only the Eredivisie? Well, Tadic also excels in the Champions League for Ajax, turning in one of the competition's greatest ever performances versus Real Madrid last season.

Sometimes, the environment just isn't right for a player and Southampton just did not suit Tadic in the latter stages of his stint on the south coast.

It's something that happens all the time in football, but the sensationalised state of the media makes it seems as if it's the worst thing to have ever happened.

To those players who just don't feel at home in their current setup in a bigger league, follow in Dusan's footsteps!