In the summer of 2016, when he took over at Manchester United, Jose Mourinho had his eyes firmly fixed on a relatively unknown young midfield player called Sergej Milinkovic-Savic. At the time, the Serbian was just 20-years-old and a little raw round the edges after a season in Serie A with Lazio.
 

Mourinho of course, went on to smash the club’s transfer record to bring Frenchman Paul Pogba back to the club who had turned him into an international class player.
 

Last summer, Mourinho revisited the idea of bringing in Milinkovic-Savic after an exceptional season with the BIancocelesti, but once again, he decided against it and went back to his former club Chelsea to pick up Nemanja Matic and bring him to Old Trafford.
 

Two years is a long time in any sport but especially in football and now, as talk of a relationship breakdown between the Portuguese tactician and Pogba continues to make back-page headlines, Mourinho should pull out all the stops to finally get the Serb into his squad this summer.
 

Still only 22, Milinkovic-Savic has become the beating heart of a Lazio side that has overtaken its city rivals Roma, to become one of Italy’s most entertaining outfits.


 

The player, who became a full Serbian international last November, has a contract in the Eternal City until 2022 and two years on from his first advance - Mourinho will now have to pay much more to try to force Lazio chief, Claudio Lotito, to part with his prized asset.
 

Before Sunday’s game in Reggio Emilia against Sassuolo (where Milinkovic-Savic was on the scoresheet in a 3-0 win) Lazio Sporting Director Igli Tare stated that the Biancocelesti had already rejected a 70 million offer for the player who would only leave if the decision was supported by everyone at the club; but Lazio, like most top-flight clubs in Italy, need the money, and only a fool would believe he would stay at his current employer, rather than make a move to the Premier League if the right offer was tabled.
 

Playing in an almost identical role to that of Pogba, the Serbian has scored nine times in 24 Serie A games this term, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. His all-round game puts him way ahead of the Frenchman at this moment and it looks on this evidence, as if he is set to eclipse his opposite number at Old Trafford, who looks to be confused as to just where his best position on the field actually is.


 

If, as reports over the weekend have stated, Pogba’s agent, Mino Raiola, has been talking to Real Madrid about the possibility of a summer switch, my advice to Mourinho would be this; let the Frenchman  vacate his place in the dressing-room, then head to the Italian capital to bring home a player who is set to become a global superstar.


Steve Mitchell
@barafundler