According to The Sun, Manchester United and Manchester City are interested in acquiring the services of 20-year-old Serbian centre-back Nikola Milenkovic. However, the youngster has ruled out a move to the Premier League (h/t The Sun).
A product of Partizan’s youth system, Milenkovic made his debut for the Serbian giants in 2015 and moved to the Serie A with Fiorentina in 2017. Since then, the Serbian has made a total of 24 appearances for the La Viola outfit, netting twice.
Although he found regular minutes hard to come by in his first season and appeared only 16 times in the Serie A, he has earned a regular first-team spot this season, having started seven games already.
Milenkovic was a part of the Serbian national team that took part in the recent FIFA World Cup in Russia and played every minute of Serbia’s campaign.
The primary reason behind Manchester United’s tottering campaign has been their porous and vulnerable backline. Undoubtedly, susceptibility at the back has been the major cause of their undoing this season and the Red Devils have conceded a total of 12 goals from their first 7 games.
Although Chris Smalling and Luke Shaw have put in solid shifts intermittently, Jose Mourinho has found it difficult to field a settled combination at the back.
While Eric Bailly seems to have fallen out of favour after that disastrous performance against Brighton & Hove Albion, Victor Lindelof did not do any good to his reputation with a horror show against West Ham United. To sum it up, United need a central defender who can perform at the highest level and on a consistent basis.
Manchester City, on the other hand, have been more dominant since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson. The Cityzens have stamped their authority in the current season as well. Pep Guardiola’s men currently sit atop the Premier League standings and have an impressive scoring record. To go with their goalscoring prowess, they have a solid defensive record as well, making them strong contenders to retain the Premier League crown.
To put things into perspective, a move to the Old Trafford would make more sense for the young Serbian centre-back since City boast of the likes of Aymeric Laporte, Nicolas Otamendi, Vincent Kompany and John Stones. Hence, Nikola Milenkovic should be the perfect man to answer United’s prayers for a solid centre-back.
Standing at 6ft 5 inches, the 20-year-old Serbian has all the makings of a perfect centre-back. A defender characterized by exceptional positional sense and superb game-reading abilities, Milenkovic is rarely caught out of position at the back. It is unusual for a defender his age to position himself so accurately at crucial moments but the Serbian’s meteoric development is surprising.
In fact, the prodigy is a perfect example of controlled aggression. While he uses his aggression and agility to outmuscle the attackers with his strength and tends to intercept incisive through balls with his long legs, he keeps his focus at key moments and does not dive into reckless challenges.
He is extremely fast and agile for a defender of his stature, allowing him to be part of a high defensive line. Furthermore, Milenkovic boasts of a high level of composure to play in a deep defensive line as well.
The Serbian’s good technique allows him to win the ball cleanly while going into crucial tackles. To go with his positioning, tackling, concentration, composure and decision-making, he is also a potent aerial threat on both ends of the field. His exceptional physicality and aerial ability should make him a perfect fit for the Premier League.
In the last season in the Serie A, Milenkovic averaged 2.4 tackles, 1.4 interceptions and 4.3 clearances per game, speaking volumes about his abilities as a centre-back.
To put it in simple words, Nikola Milenkovic is the complete defender that Manchester United desperately need. A move to Old Trafford could wonders for the 20-year-old as United have a good reputation for bringing up youngsters to the highest level.
As things stand for the Red Devils, they are in desperate need of a good defender. That said, they should look to lure the player to Old Trafford with a lucrative contract in January.
