Dusan Tadic has welcomed the deadline day signing of his international teammate, Filip Djuricic.

The Serbian attacking midfielder completed a move to St Mary’s last night, joining on loan from Portuguese club Benfica until the end of the season.

Saints are understood to have an option to make the deal permanent in the summer.

The 23-year-old was the only acquisition made by the club on the final day of the window, as they were unable to agree a fee for their other target, Feyenoord midfielder Tonny Vilhena.

Djuricic had been on loan at German side Mainz in the first half of the season, but his stay there was terminated yesterday, clearing the way for a switch to England.

Saints midfielder Tadic plays with Djuricic for the Serbia national team, and he believes he will prove to be an excellent addition to the squad, as they push for European qualification.

“He is my good friend and he is a good player,” said Tadic.

“He is a number 10 and he knows how to play football. He had a little bit of a difficult period at Mainz, but he is a really good player.

“He is 23 years old. At Heerenveen he was really good and then he went to Benfica, where he did not so much.

“At Mainz it was similar, but he has potential and he has quality.”

Tadic revealed he had already spoken to Djuricic about his move and what he can expect at Saints.

“He had watched a lot of our games,” he said.

“He knows how we play, he knows the coach.

“He knows why he would come here and he knows that we are going to play good football and that it would be good for him, I think.”

Tadic added: “You always need good players, and competition between players is better.

“It is good to have more choices.”

As well as Djuricic, Saints manager Ronald Koeman had hoped to be reunited with former midfielder Vilhena yesterday.

The 20-year-old had been identified as someone who could fill the void left by Jack Cork, following his departure for Swansea last week.

However, Koeman’s previous club, Feyenoord, were reluctant to let him go without finding a replacement of their own, meaning Saints were unable to agree a fee for the player.

There is a strong possibility that the move could be resurrected in the summer, though, with Vilhena thought to have no long-term future with the Dutch outfit.

As anticipated, there were no outgoings at St Mary’s, with the club’s insistence that they would not sell, coupled with their strong league position, meaning no significant effort was made by any other side to try to prise away stars such as Nathaniel Clyne, Jay Rodriguez or Morgan Schneiderlin, who was back in training yesterday, along with Victor Wanyama, following a few weeks sidelined through injury.

The return of Schneiderlin and Wanyama will add strength to a squad that now also contains Djuricic, an attack-minded player, who will help cover the absence of Shane Long, as he recovers from broken ribs.

Djuricic’s versatility – he is able to play out wide, as well as in a central position – was a key factor in persuading Koeman to move for him.

Djuricic started his career in Serbia, before a switch to Dutch side Heerenveen in 2010.

After an impressive spell that saw him score 20 goals in 99 games and become an experienced international player, Benfica paid €6m to take him to Portugal in 2013.

He made 22 appearances for them last season, scoring twice, but was always something of a fringe player.

He was loaned to Mainz in the summer for the duration of the current campaign, but after an unhappy spell in which he played 12 times and failed to score, it was agreed his stay could be cut short so he could join Saints.