Wolves boss Mick McCarthy has celebrated the capture of Nenad Milijas by insisting the club have secured a top quality midfielder to wow the Premier League.

The Serbian international was finally awarded his work permit yesterday, following a convincing presentation by chief executive Jez Moxey at Football League HQ in Preston.

He was quietly confident, despite initial concerns that they would lose the hearing and have to appeal.

But relieved boss McCarthy preferred to trumpet the arrival of a huge talent and a versatile midfielder coveted by many top clubs around Europe.

He said: “He can slot people in, he scores goals and he’s an all round top midfield player.

“He’ll certainly bring quality to us. He’s 6ft 1ins, as big as me, and left-footed.”

Milijas scored 37 goals in 97 games for Red Star Belgrade, including 22 strikes last season.

McCarthy reckons Wolves are getting an all-rounder, just as comfortable playing in a defensive role in front of the back four as operating in an attacking role behind the attack.

The manager said: “He’s a very comfortable player and he plays in different positions.

“He ‘sits’ for the national side and he played in behind the front two when I saw him play for Red Star.

“I have seen on a number of DVDs that he’s a quality player.”

The need for the permit arose, because Milijas just failed to meet the criteria after only breaking into the Serbian national side over the last 12 months, while injuries have restricted him to 10 full caps.