Pukštas’ father told about the beginning of his career in Hajduk: ‘I thought he was going to blow everything, but then…’

His father Mindaugas recalled the beginnings and revealed that there was a very real possibility that Rokas would never return after the rehearsal in Split. Pukštas arrived in Hajduk in 2020, when he was only 16 years old. He came from the USA to try out for a trial, but the first impressions were not enough to make it immediately clear how he would stay at the club.

Moreover, everything seemed at one point as if he would return home very soon. According to his father, Rokas is older. had a return flight booked to Oklahoma. If everything had gone according to the original plan, today we would hardly be talking about Hajduk’s six-year long story and transfer to English football. Here is how Roxas’ father described everything:

“You have to read the post below. I want to tell a story that not many people in Split know today.

Rokas came to the rehearsal in 2020. After a week or two, they told him that he could train with the team, but that they could not provide him with accommodation. This was completely understandable because he came to an unknown system and culture, and he didn’t even speak the language. That team will play in the final of the UEFA Youth Champions League a few years later.

He had a plane ticket to return to Oklahoma andć the next day. However, the coach of the cadets (U-17), & whose name I can’t remember at the moment, saw something in him and convinced the people at the club to give him another chance.

He got another preparatory game, and that in the position of left back. He had never played left back before. That night, he watched videos of the best left backs in the world for hours and studied their game. I was convinced that he would screw everything up. But he didn’t… The next day they told me that he was the best player. on the field, and moreć at halftime we got an offer. I wish I had a video of that friendly. A month later, he wore number 10 against Dinamo Zagreb. The rest is history,” Pukštas’ father wrote.

Pukštas became one of the best projects of Hajduk’s academy and was part of one of the best young generations of “whites” that reached the final of the Youth Champions League. He played a total of 142 games for the Split club, scored 27 goals and assisted 10.