Why Manchester United should make a move for Nikola Milenkovic
According to the Manchester Evening News, Manchester United are interested in making a move for Fiorentina defender Nikola Milenkovic. The Red Devils were previously linked with a move for the player in the summer but a fee of around £36million was rejected by the Serie A outfit.
The report suggests that Fiorentina will probably want at least £50million for their Serbian defender, with a number of clubs like Arsenal, Chelsea and Juventus also linked with the player in the last few weeks.
But it is Manchester United who are in desperate need of a central defender at the moment. Jose Mourinho is said to have watched Milenkovic in action during last month’s international break and there’s a good reason behind it.
The Red Devils have conceded a whopping 20 goals in their 12 games this season and have made a largely underwhelming start to their campaign. United were also punished by Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium recently, a game in which the gulf of power between the two was in clear display.
Milenkovic is certainly a Mourinho-type defender. The Serbian rarely takes unnecessary chances and always looks to play it safe from the back. He is a no-nonsense defender who possesses a wide variety of traits that will allow him to flourish in the Premier League.
Managers nowadays prefer their centre-backs to be comfortable with the ball in possession, and that’s exactly what Milenkovic is. The 21-year-old Serbian defender is also a crisp passer and distributor of the ball.
The fact that he is capable of initiating attacks from the back will make him a favourite under Mourinho. Milenkovic has also played as a right-back for Fiorentina this season and has flourished in both positions.
He is also very dominant in the air and has made an average of 2.8 successful aerial duels in the Serie A this season. The Red Devils have struggled to deal with crosses that have come into the box this season and have looked nothing like the resilient side they were in the last campaign. (Stats courtesy – Whoscored)
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Manchester United should definitely beat their competitors to the signing of the young Serbian defender. They have a number of players who will be out of contract in the summer and they need more fresh faces in the team.