Ask any follower of Italian football and they will tell you the same thing: Sergej Milinkovic-Savic is a supreme talent.

The Lazio midfielder has been linked with a number of Europe’s biggest clubs this summer – with Manchester United showing more interest than most in recent months. Red Devils boss Jose Mourinho has refused to comment on the links but United fans are hoping that the Serbia star does indeed move to Old Trafford before the end of the summer transfer window.

According to statistics available via WhoScored, Milinkovic-Savic notched 12 goals and three assists in 35 Serie A matches last season.

The Serbian was central to most of Lazio’s success in 2017/18 and Simone Inzaghi’s side will miss him dearly if he moves on this summer. If you look at his record in all competitions, 14 goals and six assists in 53 appearances for club and country is some effort.

At just 23 years old, Milinkovic-Savic is one of the most sought-after prospects in world football.

Barcelona to Rival United for Signature?

Reports claiming that Barcelona have joined the race to sign Milinkovic-Savic may damage United’s chances of signing the Serbian midfielder.

Compatriot Nemanja Matic will try his hardest to convince the 23-year-old to join forces at Old Trafford but the lure of Barcelona is hard to compete with.

According to The Sun, Lazio are asking for an estimated £120 million for Milinkovic-Savic and United fans are split on whether to go all out on the Serbia star or whether to look elsewhere before August 9th.

Milinkovic-Savic was a bit of a mixed bag at the 2018 World Cup. He was simply sublime – arguably as good as Real Madrid’s Luka Modric – in Serbia’s opening group stage fixture against Costa Rica but failed to make the same sort of impact in matches against Switzerland and Brazil.

United cannot afford any wrong moves as they look to claw back that 19-point deficit to arch-rivals Manchester City.

Milinkovic-Savic has to be the real deal for United to stand any chance of toppling Pep Guardiola’s side in the Premier League title race next season.

Mourinho Needs to Win Over His Critics

As of July 2nd, United are 6/1 with the footbal betting website Betway to win the Premier League crown next season.

Mourinho knows that the Old Trafford faithful are expecting big things ahead of the 2018/19 campaign and another failed signing may tip supporters over the edge. Marouane Fellaini’s contract extension has gone against the Portuguese and he is under real pressure to deliver a first Premier League title since 2013.

Is Milinkovic-Savic the player to take United back to the top of English football? That one is up for debate…

Matic could be key to United landing Sergej Milinkovic-Savic #mufc https://t.co/wOCt77uTkB

— Man United News (@ManUtdMEN) June 19, 2018

The Alexis Sanchez experiment failed miserably and United need a marquee signing ahead of the upcoming campaign. Red Devils fans are still not convinced by Sanchez’s effort – he can be very lazy at times.

Based on his World Cup exploits, Mourinho will not have that issue with Milinkovic-Savic. According to Goal, the Lazio star covered more ground than any of his Serbian teammates in that victory over Costa Rica. Hard work and a desire to succeed are just two his traits that will endear him to the United faithful.

Milinkovic-Savic Is A Long-Term Investment

Mourinho would love to get one over on Guardiola in the race for supremacy in England’s top flight.

Milinkovic-Savic has the quality to succeed at the highest level and United could build around the Serbia youngster in the future. Lazio will be desperate to keep him in Italy but the chance to further his career at either United or even in Spain may be too much for Milinkovic-Savic – the situation is similar to that of Aleksandr Golovin and Chelsea.

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic ticks all the right boxes to enjoy a fruitful career in English football but United fans mustn’t get carried away just yet.

£120 million is a huge sum of money for a relatively unproven talent; it’s not like he is Harry Kane after all.

On his day, he can be a world beater but consistency at the highest level continues to elude him – although you could claim that is largely down to inexperience. Neutrals will want to see him in the Premier League and he may blossom into the world’s next great midfielder at Manchester United.

Posted on July 10th, 2018 by scott
Filed under: Article