Manchester United for who? Sergej Milinkovic-Savic at Lazio to stay

Manchester United look set to be dealt a blow in their pursuit of highly-rated midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, after he recently reiterated his loyalty towards Lazio and suggested he is going nowhere this summer.

The Serbian midfielder has attracted the attention of a host of European elite clubs following a stellar 2017-18 campaign with Lazio.

The 23-year-old powerhouse was also in impressive form at the Russia World Cup, and was the standout star in the Serbia side.

Milinkovic-Savic returned to training with the Serie A club this week, and reported to the medical facilities in order to check his pre-season fitness.

When asked about his future by fans outside the facility, Milinkovic-Savic responded: ‘Of course I’m staying, do you not see that I’m here?,’ as reported by Goal.

Lazio are keen to keep hold of their talisman, who could command an astronomical transfer fee in the market.

Lazio hold Milinkovic-Savic’s valuation around the €100million (£89m) mark, and manager Simone Inzaghi recently confirmed his belief that the player is comfortably worth such a figure.

‘There are many voices around Milinkovic-Savic, he can change the games alone,’ Inzaghi said recently.

‘I spoke with Sergej, he wanted to arrive two days earlier in Auronzo, but I gave him two more days of holiday. I feel calm. Anything could happen. Our desire is to do well as in the last years, we will fight with everyone.’

Mourinho is struggling to hide his impatience with his employers as Old Trafford chief Ed Woodward races to beat an early transfer deadline of August 9. United open the Premier League campaign at home to Leicester City on a Friday night 24 hours later, a decision by Sky Sports that has also irked Mourinho.

His concerns that the start of the season will come too soon are understandable. United have been without up to 12 World Cup players on tour, many of whom will not make an appearance here at all.

Captain Antonio Valencia has also gone, the victim of a calf muscle tear that will keep him out of the start of the season. New £19million signing Diogo Dalot cannot replace him because he is unavailable until September as he recovers from a knee injury.

Mourinho wants at least two more signings — ideally a centre back and a forward — but has been told by Woodward that United must sell before they buy. Martial and Marcos Rojo are the two who have been earmarked to go, but offloading them for the right price in time to bring in replacements before the window closes will not be easy.

No wonder Mourinho has been at his malevolent worst in the US. The 55-year-old is unhappy with the quality of squad available to him and their performances so far as United have recorded three rather pointless draws against Club America, San Jose Earthquakes and AC Milan in front of disappointing attendances.

United’s game against Liverpool in the early hours of this morning was expected to buck that trend, with a crowd of around 100,000 expected in Michigan, but this has largely been a pre-season tour to forget. Mourinho has moaned about the lack of first-team players after the World Cup.

Given the chance to praise Paul Pogba’s success at the tournament in Russia, there has been only more thinly veiled criticism of a player he believes can offer so much more for his club. When asked if United have the squad to challenge for the title this season, Mourinho’s refusal to answer was telling.

Maybe his mind is going back to the summer of 2015, when a poor transfer window and awful start to the season cost Chelsea dear. Mourinho was sacked by Christmas, just seven months after winning the title, with the champions in 16th place.

There are shades of that summer now in his disaffection with the board and murmurings of discontent in camp. A coach who has never stayed much longer than three years at any of his previous clubs is entering his third season at Old Trafford in less than great shape.

Mourinho continues to live a hotel existence in the Lowry, away from his family in London, and can no longer call upon the support of his trusted lieutenant, Rui Faria, who left United at the end of last season. The two had worked together for 16 years, and the impact of Faria’s departure — both as a coach and confidante for Mourinho — should not be underestimated.

It is building up to be a crucial season for United and their manager. A prosaic style of football was tolerated when he started out by winning the Europa League, League Cup and Community Shield in his first year in charge at Old Trafford.

But the frustration among supporters was palpable as a swashbuckling Manchester City swept to the title last season, leaving United 19 points behind in their wake. They simply cannot afford a slow start this time around, and Mourinho knows it.

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