Miron Muslic has a measured perspective on football that most within the professional game do not have because of his experiences as a child.

At the age of nine, Muslic and his family had to leave their home town of Bihac in war-torn Bosnia, grabbing as many of their possessions as they could, and moved to Austria as refugees. His father then worked as a waiter, his mother as a cleaning lady so they could provide the best life possible for Muslic and his sister.

Muslic spent most of his playing career in Austria and also started out as a coach there before becoming the assistant boss at Cercle Brugge in 2021 and then taking charge of the Belgian Pro League side the following year.

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Now his football odyssey has brought him to Argyle, and in just his sixth match as the Pilgrims' boss they will take on Premier League leaders Liverpool in the Emirates FA Cup fourth round at Home Park on Sunday (3pm).

Muslic has come a long way since he and his family became refugees in 1992. "We had to leave Bosnia, and Bihac our home town, literally overnight, grabbing things with your hands," he recalled.

"We had to escape and we became refugees in Austria. That's where our new life started. In the meantime, I have the privilege to call not only Bosnia but also Austria my home.

"I know people who never left their own country cannot maybe understand this, and cannot follow this, but it's a privilege to call Bosnia and also Austria my home.

"I spent over 30 years there. We struggled our whole life, and that's part of my journey. That's why I'm always very optimistic and very positive. I have been in more challenging situations in my life than being a head coach and facing a possible draw or a defeat at the weekend.

"That's also the message I want to deliver consistently towards the players, that life is a struggle with beautiful surprises and there is always something worth fighting for.

"Nothing was easy for me, for my family or for my sister. We became refugees and it's not a pretty thing but I never had the feeling I missed something in my life.

"My parents tried very hard to provide us with the things we need. My father worked for over 30 years as a waiter. My mother was a cleaning lady.

"They tried very hard to give us a good life. They sacrificed for us, so that's why I'm also sacrificing for my family. It's maybe part of our culture or maybe it's just normal here that you sacrifice for your children and for a better future.

"All the things that have happened over the last 30 years have helped me become who I am today, and achieving some things that maybe have been impossible, but nothing is impossible if you truly believe, if you commit and if you go really, really fully."

After leaving Bosnia for Austria, Muslic found a way of settling into his new surroundings. He said: "That's why football is so important because it's universal. When you are on the football pitch, on the street, it's not about your name, your last name, it's not even about your refugee status or not.

"It's only about the game, where religion, nationality, is my mother a cleaning lady or a lawyer has no impact, no influence. That's why we love this beautiful game.

"That's the magic of football. If I look at the locker room of Cercle Brugge we had 13 different nationalities. If I look at the locker room of Argyle there are lads from all over the world, and it works. So imagine the world would be easier as a locker room, it would be a good place to be."

As was the case when he was the boss of Cercle Brugge, Muslic's wife, Ensada, and their three children will continue to live in Austria while he works in Plymouth.

That involves sacrifices for him, such as missing his son Benjamin's 20th birthday this week. Muslic said: "I prepared him a big, big present. An Argyle shirt with his favourite number, and I promised him also if he can finish his school - and he did - and he will become 20 I will buy him a car!"

With the FA Cup clash against Liverpool being televised live a round the world, Muslic's family will have the chance to see his team in action and they will soon be coming to Plymouth for the first time.

Muslic said: My parents will come from Tirol to Upper Austria to watch it together with my wife and kids, and then in the half-term, in about eight, nine, 10 days, they will come here for the first time to visit me. I'm very much looking forward to it."

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