Manchester United: 3 Centre-Backs club Should Target

#2 Nikola Milenkovic

Nikola Milenkovic was scouted by Jose Mourinho during the international friendlies earlier

Nikola Milenkovic is someone whom United, specifically, Jose Mourinho has scouted earlier this season. After how terribly Woodward failed at landing a quality defender last summer, Mourinho was considering Milenkovic as a clear option for the January transfer window.

The Serbian international is strong, quick and dominant aerially, so there should not be any concerns over whether he would be able to deal with the physicality of the Premier League. However, his defensive qualities shouldn’t be ignored amidst this.

He seems to be a good reader of the game, and playing in the Serie A seems to have made him more adept and intelligent from a tactical point of view. He is a 21-year-old, but already is very smart regarding when to challenge for the ball. His physical prowess allows him to bully the forwards during set-pieces and 1v1 situations too.

Milenkovic seems to be a level-headed player too, something that could instill a sense of calmness in a usually frantic United defensive line.

He records 1.9 tackles, 1.5 interceptions and 3.7 clearances in the Serie A per game this season. The lad has also scored two goals and wins 2.9 aerial duels on an average too.

Negotiating with Fiorentina should not be quite a task, and Milenkovic could be lured if offered a decent sum of money. However, United haven’t been extensively linked to him after Mourinho’s departure and hence is becomes interesting to see if they choose him as an option in the summer.