Sergej Milinkovic Savic

Would be fun having him if Pogba ends up staying. Quality in depth covered.

Could they play together with a workhorse supporting them @Invictus ?
 
Invictus said:
Yaya Touré.
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That's a pretty strong comparison coming from you as you have some of the most detailed and honest opinions when it comes to football players.

Do you think that's SMS's ceiling or who he can be with a little more consistency? People have compared Pogba to Yaya Toure in the past due to their size, acceleration, speed, etc.
 
SteveW said:
You are off your head if you think we could get through the season with the midfielders we have. Absolutely bonkers. We have 2/3 that are up to it. We play with 3. There are 50+ games. How is that supposed to work?

Everyone who is paying any attention can see it and the club clearly see it since they are trying to sign midfielders.

I'm in agreement that it isn't a quick process. We need to develop talented young players to improve the level of the squad. We will need to bring in quality when available too.

Guaranteeing a mid table place next season by not strengthening midfield will make that even tougher next summer. fecking nuance...
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Have I done anything to offend you, for you to call me bonkers?
 
edcunited1878 said:
That's a pretty strong comparison coming from you as you have some of the most detailed and honest opinions when it comes to football players.

Do you think that's SMS's ceiling or who he can be with a little more consistency? People have compared Pogba to Yaya Toure in the past due to their size, acceleration, speed, etc.
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It's hard to tell what Milinković-Savić's ceiling will be, but he offers similar characteristics as those two, yes: a bit less explosive and technically gifted than Pogba (who has an unmatchable skill set), but offers a more forceful presence in midfield. The Touré bit was complimentary but not entirely so because while Yaya had the characteristics to dominate lesser competition in a slightly chaotic City team under Pellegrini because he combined formidable presence with finesse, he would be fairly errant on the ball as his concentration levels would drop inexplicably...and occasionally underwhelmed in a collective sense because he was an individualist at heart and would randomly walk about in a leisurely manner — all of those criticisms can be leveled against Milinković-Savić as well. While I like him, I would rate someone like Havertz as a superior 10/8 hybrid target for United because he is more skillful on the ball, displays more urgency, and his overall game is markedly tighter (for lack of a better word).
 
El-Manos said:
Any Lazio fans here who’d care to offer us some insight regarding the potential of this young man?
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From reddit:
He's potentially the best box 2 box mid in the entire european football, I find him to be much more reliable and effective than Pogba, maybe without the french peaks, altho.



Everyone saying that he struggled last season forget to mention he's had no rest from the world cup and an enormous psychological pressure due to his increased mediatic exposure.


Also, this last season he was pretty much loaded with much more defensive work that he was used to in the previous two, still, his importance in our game has been fundamental on every aspect and in both phases, attacking and defensive, regardless.


He confirmed to be extremely level headed, never a complaint for being put into a nearly defensive midfielder position nor for the squad as a whole not repeating their best performances in the previous year, this says much of how great he's been with us , despite having outgrown our club long since.



His strenght are high balls and physical strenght, combined with a great vision of play, to say, with a fast attacker he can easily rack up over 10 assists, but has shown improvements even on the free kicks and more generally, in taking shots from outside the box.



Still hoping for him to stay , honestly, but probably Premier League would get the best out of his career.
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Invictus said:
It's hard to tell what Milinković-Savić's ceiling will be, but he offers similar characteristics as those two, yes: a bit less explosive and technically gifted than Pogba (who has an unmatchable skill set), but offers a more forceful presence in midfield. The Touré bit was complimentary but not entirely so because while Yaya had the characteristics to dominate lesser competition in a slightly chaotic City team under Pellegrini because he combined formidable presence with finesse, he would be fairly errant on the ball as his concentration levels would drop inexplicably...and occasionally underwhelmed in a collective sense because he was an individualist at heart and would randomly walk about in a leisurely manner — all of those criticisms can be leveled against Milinković-Savić as well. While I like him, I would rate someone like Havertz as a superior 10/8 hybrid target for United because he is more skillful on the ball, displays more urgency, and his overall game is markedly tighter (for lack of a better word).
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Really? From what I’ve gathered by reading opinions from Lazio fans he seems like someone who takes a lot of responsibility and puts in an effort for the team rather than being an individualist, even when his effort isn’t reflected in numbers (see above post as an example).

From what I know about Havertz (never watched him though) he doesn’t seem very comparable. Isn’t he a proper #10? Wouldn’t we need someone like Kante in order to retain balance in midfield if we’re playing Havertz and Pogba centrally in a 433?
 
As others have said, kinda Yaya Toure/Pogba blend. Not as skillful as Pogba, but talented nonetheless for a big guy. Mire work rate than either of those 2, less talent, but a pretty well rounded player. Was vastly overrated a couple of seasons ago before the world cup, still improving though.

Would be very happy with the signing tbh as a Pogba replacement or next to him, but only see it if Pogba leaves because we're cheap.
 
Buy low sell high. Clearly a talented player but the fuss doesn't seem to be there. He is the same player thay was 'worth' 100+m last season. Buy players when they are out of favour
 
Art Vandelay said:
I hope we sign him. He's a midfielder and he's not one of the ones that currently play for us.
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Honestly this is all I ask for in signings now, that they haven't been part of any United squad for the past 5 seasons or so.

It's a low bar but still, sick to the back teeth of watching the players we've got now.
 
Saul is an excellent player, with a great attitude and a fantastic record in big matches.

Paying 80m for SMS over Saul doesn't make sense to me.

Let's go for the sure deal, not another player who has a history of hiding in bigger games.
 
matherto said:
Honestly this is all I ask for in signings now, that they haven't been part of any United squad for the past 5 seasons or so.

It's a low bar but still, sick to the back teeth of watching the players we've got now.
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It would be ideal if we got rid a bunch of the players we currently have to go along with it, but I'd settle for new players coming in so we at least have the option of benching them. SMS looks like an upgrade too, which is another nice bonus.
 
Macern said:
Really? From what I’ve gathered by reading opinions from Lazio fans he seems like someone who takes a lot of responsibility and puts in an effort for the team rather than being an individualist, even when his effort isn’t reflected in numbers (see above post as an example).
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Those Reddit fans are too generous with praise, I think...furthermore, Lazio is in a different dimension to United even though we have declined, and Milinković-Savić should be judged with a more critical lens as a transfer target. He has a lot of undeniable qualities, but definitely has lapses of concentration and moments where he isn't urgent enough. Taking responsibility or putting in effort is not enough because those are vague descriptive terms that don't signify something precise — you have to be intelligent and organized and utterly consistent — and Milinković-Savić doesn't always evidence those qualities, yet. For reference, Gerrard could be described as someone who took a lot of responsibility and put in effort for the team, yes, but he was also an individualist throughout his career — those aren't mutually exclusive traits.
Macern said:
From what I know about Havertz (never watched him though) he doesn’t seem very comparable. Isn’t he a proper #10? Wouldn’t we need someone like Kante in order to retain balance in midfield if we’re playing Havertz and Pogba centrally in a 433?
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Even though Havertz has a technical skill set that is reminiscent of Özil, he is ideally a half-way 10 who operates as a needle player from midfield — not a pure 10 in a pigeon-holed sense because that would be too restrictive for someone with his qualities. As such, he and Milinković-Savić would vie for similar roles in a midfield 3, even though they aren't exactly alike. Regarding the Pogba bit, Milinković-Savić or Havertz should be acquired only if we sell Pogba, IMO — they can't play in the same midfield unless we overhaul our approach...including the possibility of permanently switching to a midfield diamond with one of them operating as the de facto 10.
 
Invictus said:
Those Reddit fans are too generous with praise, I think...furthermore, Lazio is in a different dimension to United even though we have declined, and Milinković-Savić should be judged with a more critical lens as a transfer target. He has a lot of undeniable qualities, but definitely has lapses of concentration and moments where he isn't urgent enough. Taking responsibility or putting in effort is not enough because those are vague descriptive terms that don't signify something precise — you have to be intelligent and organized and utterly consistent — and Milinković-Savić doesn't always evidence those qualities, yet. For reference, Gerrard could be described as someone who took a lot of responsibility and put in effort for the team, yes, but he was also an individualist throughout his career — those aren't mutually exclusive traits.

Even though Havertz has a technical skill set that is reminiscent of Özil, he is ideally a half-way 10 who operates as a needle player from midfield — not a pure 10 in a pigeon-holed sense because that would be too restrictive for someone with his qualities. As such, he and Milinković-Savić would vie for similar roles in a midfield 3, even though they aren't exactly alike. Regarding the Pogba bit, Milinković-Savić or Havertz should be acquired only if we sell Pogba, IMO — they can't play in the same midfield unless we overhaul our approach...including the possibility of permanently switching to a midfield diamond with one of them operating as the de facto 10.
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So, Havertz would obviously be a favourite signing of yours and everyone seems to value your opinion on such matters, myself included and for good reason but who would you pick as our transfer targets in other positions, such as CB, CDM, WF and ST?
 
Invictus said:
Those Reddit fans are too generous with praise, I think...furthermore, Lazio is in a different dimension to United even though we have declined, and Milinković-Savić should be judged with a more critical lens as a transfer target. He has a lot of undeniable qualities, but definitely has lapses of concentration and moments where he isn't urgent enough. Taking responsibility or putting in effort is not enough because those are vague descriptive terms that don't signify something precise — you have to be intelligent and organized and utterly consistent — and Milinković-Savić doesn't always evidence those qualities, yet. For reference, Gerrard could be described as someone who took a lot of responsibility and put in effort for the team, yes, but he was also an individualist throughout his career — those aren't mutually exclusive traits.

Even though Havertz has a technical skill set that is reminiscent of Özil, he is ideally a half-way 10 who operates as a needle player from midfield — not a pure 10 in a pigeon-holed sense because that would be too restrictive for someone with his qualities. As such, he and Milinković-Savić would vie for similar roles in a midfield 3, even though they aren't exactly alike. Regarding the Pogba bit, Milinković-Savić or Havertz should be acquired only if we sell Pogba, IMO — they can't play in the same midfield unless we overhaul our approach...including the possibility of permanently switching to a midfield diamond with one of them operating as the de facto 10.
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Cheers for the input, that Gerrard analogy is brilliant and I agree. If SMS lacks discipline and has lapses of concentration then it’d obviously be problematic playing in a midfield three with Pogba and Matic.

As some credible sources (Simon Stone among others IIRC) have stated, selling Pogba is unlikely. But if that was to happen I can’t really see SMS filling the creative hole Pogba would leave behind him. I think two players would be needed considering how Pogba is the only consistent creative force we have in midfield.

Ideally we’d get a regista type of player that would take some of the creative responsibilities off the two CMs in a 433. Matic doesn’t provide any creativity at all so the chance creation from the three midfielders is on Pogbas shoulders. Assuming Pogba and Matic stays, the Herrera replacement would have to be someone who has got the discipline to balance the team as well as ability to create. I was hoping SMS would fit that role, but I can see why he wouldn’t.
 
Invictus said:
Those Reddit fans are too generous with praise, I think...furthermore, Lazio is in a different dimension to United even though we have declined, and Milinković-Savić should be judged with a more critical lens as a transfer target. He has a lot of undeniable qualities, but definitely has lapses of concentration and moments where he isn't urgent enough. Taking responsibility or putting in effort is not enough because those are vague descriptive terms that don't signify something precise — you have to be intelligent and organized and utterly consistent — and Milinković-Savić doesn't always evidence those qualities, yet. For reference, Gerrard could be described as someone who took a lot of responsibility and put in effort for the team, yes, but he was also an individualist throughout his career — those aren't mutually exclusive traits.

Even though Havertz has a technical skill set that is reminiscent of Özil, he is ideally a half-way 10 who operates as a needle player from midfield — not a pure 10 in a pigeon-holed sense because that would be too restrictive for someone with his qualities. As such, he and Milinković-Savić would vie for similar roles in a midfield 3, even though they aren't exactly alike. Regarding the Pogba bit, Milinković-Savić or Havertz should be acquired only if we sell Pogba, IMO — they can't play in the same midfield unless we overhaul our approach...including the possibility of permanently switching to a midfield diamond with one of them operating as the de facto 10.
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Havertz is one of the best young attacking midfielders I have watched and I think he has sky high potential. His composure on the ball is insane, he doesn't seems to be fazed by defenders marking him or closing him down at all and almost always chooses the right option to do. However, I don't think he will ever join us. He would most probably end up in Bayern in a couple of years.
 
Being quoted silly money for midfielders when we had one in Tielemans being snatched up £35m while we coddled our balls.
 
The Don said:
So, Havertz would obviously be a favourite signing of yours and everyone seems to value your opinion on such matters, myself included and for good reason but who would you pick as our transfer targets in other positions, such as CB, CDM, WF and ST?
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Argh, this is tough because the profile of players we should have signed in the “rebuild” are unobtainable in this market: Sancho/Romagnoli/Chiesa, have joined (or are about to join) other clubs: De Jong/Rodri/De Ligt, or are tied to loooong-term deals: Giménez/Florentino. Also, I thought José would be a good appointment and Morata was an appropriate striker target...among other gaffes, so I know nothing! Anyhow, here goes...

CB: Tah, DM: Roca, WF: wait for Sancho instead of wasting money, ST/forward: make a last minute bid for Griezmann...if he expectedly joins Barcelona, stick with Rashford and reassess in 2020.
Macern said:
Ideally we’d get a regista type of player that would take some of the creative responsibilities off the two CMs in a 433. Matic doesn’t provide any creativity at all so the chance creation from the three midfielders is on Pogbas shoulders. Assuming Pogba and Matic stays, the Herrera replacement would have to be someone who has got the discipline to balance the team as well as ability to create. I was hoping SMS would fit that role, but I can see why he wouldn’t.
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Agree wholeheartedly with the regista suggestion, mate — especially if we persist with Matić. A good central midfield playmaker brings a remarkable degree of coherence to a team, and United fans need little introduction to that concept when you consider the importance of Scholes in the not-too-distant past (or even Carrick when he started asserting himself on the ball and was a one-man midfield from the holding midfield position). Pogba is an exquisite passer but his strength lies in making riskier passes toward the final third where he frequently relinquishes possession of the ball by making semi-calculated gambles — and we could definitely do with someone like Arthur or Verratti to conduct the game from deeper positions (and act as a consummate ball magnet in typical regista fashion). That type of player will be more beneficial to the team as a whole, and make the setup cleaner because there will be no overlaps between his primary responsibilities/strengths (vis-à-vis Pogba's) when you consider the rudimentary layout...
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Crashoutcassius said:
Buy low sell high. Clearly a talented player but the fuss doesn't seem to be there. He is the same player thay was 'worth' 100+m last season. Buy players when they are out of favour
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Tbf he started the season as a wreck having not given any proper rest. A slight dip in form was enough for the fasci erm laziali to turn against him by calling him gypsy and fake talent. Lazio is a very bad place for a black/Eastern European to fall out of form. Just ask Aaron Winter
 
Invictus said:
Argh, this is tough because the profile of players we should have signed in the “rebuild” are unobtainable in this market: Sancho/Romagnoli/Chiesa, have joined (or are about to join) other clubs: De Jong/Rodri/De Ligt, or are tied to loooong-term deals: Giménez/Florentino. Also, I thought José would be a good appointment and Morata was an appropriate striker target...among other gaffes, so I know nothing! Anyhow, here goes...

CB: Tah, DM: Roca, WF: wait for Sancho instead of wasting money, ST/forward: make a last minute bid for Griezmann...if he expectedly joins Barcelona, stick with Rashford and reassess in 2020.

Agree wholeheartedly with the regista suggestion, mate — especially if we persist with Matić. A good central midfield playmaker brings a remarkable degree of coherence to a team, and United fans need little introduction to that concept when you consider the importance of Scholes in the not-too-distant past (or even Carrick when he started asserting himself on the ball and was a one-man midfield from the holding midfield position). Pogba is an exquisite passer but his strength lies in making riskier passes toward the final third where he frequently relinquishes possession of the ball by making semi-calculated gambles — and we could definitely do with someone like Arthur or Verratti to conduct the game from deeper positions (and act as a consummate ball magnet in typical regista fashion). That type of player will be more beneficial to the team as a whole, and make the setup cleaner because there will be no overlaps between his primary responsibilities/strengths (vis-à-vis Pogba's) when you consider the rudimentary layout...
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Thanks for the education Invictus. Also learning something from you.

I thought Jose and Morata were the optimum choices too. :(

Problem is Pogba can't play 50-60 games a season, what happens then?
 
Simon Stone of BBC says there nothing in this link. Good news on a Friday morning.
 
Savic is good player. Imagine Fellaini with more technique & passing ability.
 
Invictus said:
Agree wholeheartedly with the regista suggestion, mate — especially if we persist with Matić. A good central midfield playmaker brings a remarkable degree of coherence to a team, and United fans need little introduction to that concept when you consider the importance of Scholes in the not-too-distant past (or even Carrick when he started asserting himself on the ball and was a one-man midfield from the holding midfield position). Pogba is an exquisite passer but his strength lies in making riskier passes toward the final third where he frequently relinquishes possession of the ball by making semi-calculated gambles — and we could definitely do with someone like Arthur or Verratti to conduct the game from deeper positions (and act as a consummate ball magnet in typical regista fashion). That type of player will be more beneficial to the team as a whole, and make the setup cleaner because there will be no overlaps between his primary responsibilities/strengths (vis-à-vis Pogba's) when you consider the rudimentary layout...
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The lack of control from deeper positions after Carrick left has been a significant weakness. Having someone like Verratti, Arthur or De Jong would allow us to deal with high pressure in a better way and could even allow us to get by without proper ball playing center backs (Obviously we have Lindelöf, but pairing Smalling and Jones wouldn’t be as disastrous). It could even make up for De Geas lack of passing accuracy as he could try to find the passing organizer which wouldn’t be too difficult.

Verratti in the United vs PSG game is a good example of how effective that type of player can be. He always got out of pressure and exploited our pressure with his dribbling and ability to start attacks from deep.
 
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So Di Marzio has edited his night time transfer report and this is no longer on it. I'm guessing it's off now then? Cocks back in lads.
 
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