Bruce Arena says Djordje Petrovic “is going to be very good”

Saturday was a big day for New England Revolution goalkeepers as Matt Turner returned to the field and Djordje Petrovic made his first bench appearance.

Turner made three saves in the 2-0 victory over Inter Miami FC. Head coach Bruce Arena praised the reigning MLS Goalkeeper of the Year, saying, “He plays with a lot of confidence and he gives the guys in front of him a lot of confidence.”

Turner will have two months with the Revolution before he heads to Arsenal at the start of July. Fans will be sad to see him go, but Arena believes that they should also be excited about his replacement.

“I’ll tell you this, our other goalkeeper is going to be very good,” Arena said. “[Petrovic] is going to be a good one. We are looking forward to seeing him play as well.”

The 22-year-old Serbian goalkeeper collected 33 clean sheets and a 0.99 goals-against average in 86 games across all competitions over three seasons with FK Čukarički. Brandon Bye called him a “big guy, looks athletic, and looks like a prototypical goalie.” Petrovic is 6-4, 195 pounds.

Like Arena, Turner sees a bright future for Petrovic.

“What I’ve seen from him is that he’s really talented,” Turner said. “He’s way more talented than I was at his age, you know? He’s taller than me. He’s athletic.”

Of course, Turner knows that it takes a lot to be an elite goalkeeper in Major League Soccer. To reach that height, a player has to be constantly improving. If Petrovic does this, Turner has full confidence that he’ll be an asset to the Revs.

“But you know, he’s got things that he’s going to have to work on if he wants to be a consistent player for this team, as we all do,” Turner said. “So, I think that for him, [if] he works on a few small details in his game, he’s going to be a really good player for this organization.”