Ill fortune besetting European? This comes next (8)

I believe the answer is:

fourteen

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'this comes next' is the definition.
The definition suggests a singular noun which matches the answer.

'ill fortune besetting european?' is the wordplay.
'ill' is an anagram indicator.
'besetting' indicates putting letters inside.
'european?' becomes 'E' (abbreviation e.g. EU).
'fortune' anagrammed gives 'fourten'.
'fourten' going around 'e' is 'FOURTEEN'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for fourteen that I've seen before include "Number of lines in a sonnet" , "XIV" , "Fen route (anag)" , "Pounds in a stone?" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.