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Forget it Jose – Manchester United must avoid replacing Pogba with this €100m+ midfield star

Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has reportedly asked agent Mino Raiola to seal a transfer back to Juventus.

Jose Mourinho and Pogba have reportedly been at loggerheads since the 2-0 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur in February. Mourinho made some bold moves this season, including dropping Pogba from the first XI in both the legs against Sevilla in the Champions League.

Mourinho has a massive summer transfer window where he not only has the task to buy the right players but also get them playing the right way to challenge for the title next season.

The United manager has already prioritised signing a couple of midfielders in the summer, with Michael Carrick set to join his backroom staff next season and Marouane Fellaini yet to commit his future at Old Trafford.

One midfielder reportedly on the radar of United is Lazio’s Sergej Milinkovic-Savic. Reports have also emerged that the Red Devils will sign Milinkovic-Savic if they sell Pogba in the summer. However, Sergej would cost above €100m for sure.

Very bizarre but Mourinho must not sell Pogba to sign Milinkovic-Savic from Lazio. Instead, he should sign the Lazio star and build a strong midfield alongside Pogba and Nemanja Matic.

Milinkovic-Savic is a proper box-to-box midfielder, also capable of playing in an advanced role. Well, it is in an advanced role that the 23-year-old thrives more. At a height of 6ft 4in, he has all the physical tools to dominate the midfield and run riot in the Premier League.

Commanding in the air, strong in the tackle and blessed with exquisite passing abilities, Milinkovic-Savic is a complete midfield package. He is technically gifted, possesses fantastic vision coupled with a wide range of crossing abilities. He can also score goals from anywhere on the field.

The Serb is a bit rash in tackling at times but has made significant leaps this season, improving his discipline, decision-making, positional sense and awareness under Simone Inzaghi. Milinkovic-Savic is highly-rated in the Serie A and could be one of the breakout stars in the World Cup in Russia next month.

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic

The qualities that Milinkovic-Savic possesses make him an idle fit at United. But his style of play is a bit similar to that of Pogba, which could become a problem for Mourinho to accommodate both the players in his starting XI.

However, Mourinho opted to go with the 4-3-3 formation in 2018 and found good success. If he sticks with 4-3-3, Matic would play in his usual defensive midfield role, with Pogba and Milinkovic-Savic lining up alongside the former Chelsea star. Pogba and Milinkovic-Savic can work well in tandem and form one of the most eye-catching midfield partnerships in the Premier League.

Mourinho must sign Milinkovic-Savic to bolster his midfield options and should not replace Pogba next season.