Former Manchester United transfer target Sergej Milnkovic-Savic has admitted that he "learnt a lot" from Paul Pogba following his arrival in Italy back in 2015.
The Serbian international, who was a target for United back in 2018 when Jose Mourinho occupied the managerial hot seat at Old Trafford, joined Lazio seven years ago from Belgian club Genk. He was a midfielder on the up and was attracting plenty of attention.
The move to Lazio meant that Milinkovic-Savic, with respect to the Belgian Pro League, would be applying his trade at a higher level, with Serie A considered as having better quality. At the time, Serie A was already flooded with world-class midfielders, including Andrea Pirlo and Arturo Vidal, amongst others.
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Pogba was also playing in Serie A with Juventus at the time. He had joined the Italian giants in 2012 following his first spell at Old Trafford and was making a real name for himself with some eye-catching performances and impressive attacking returns.
The Frenchman, of course, is renowned for being a big, physical and tall midfield operator, who is not easily bullied off the ball. And it was because of his frame that Milinkovic-Savic, who remains a Lazio player, tried to learn from him.
"I learnt a lot from him at the beginning when I arrived in Italy and he was at Juventus," said Milinkovic-Savic told DAZN. "He is tall like me, has technique and already made the difference in games."
Milinkovic-Savic, 27, has been linked with United again in recent weeks and months, with the club set to prioritise the signing of a new midfielder this forthcoming summer. He is out-of-contract at Lazio in just over a year's time and it is possible that he could be available in a cut-price deal this summer.
United are not the only club to have been linked with him. According to reports overseas, French giants Paris Saint-Germain have also expressed an interest in his services.
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