On paper, this is a sensible reset.
That matters. Players rebuilding confidence often need structure as much as minutes. A title-holding side brings pressure, but it also brings clarity: training intensity, a defined role and matches that carry consequence from the start.
The bigger issue is not the transfer itself. It is whether Markovic can rediscover the level she showed before the knee injury she reportedly suffered in 2023 while at Grasshopper Club.
Serious knee setbacks rarely follow a straight line. The physical return can come first; the sharpness, timing and conviction in the final third often take longer. Reports have linked her recent career moves to that wider rebuilding process, and that context makes this next step more important than headline-grabbing.
For Hajduk, the upside is obvious: if she finds rhythm, they add a forward with profile, experience and motivation. If not, they still have a player chasing a fresh start inside a winning environment.
Defending champions do not get the luxury of patience forever. Every addition is judged on impact. But Markovic does not need to carry the whole attack immediately. Her first target should be simpler:
That is the storyline to watch as Hajduk Split move into the new domestic campaign. If the reported move is finalised, the next few weeks will show whether this is merely another stop in transition - or the place where Ana Maria Markovic finally turns recovery into momentum.