5 players Manchester United should sign in January

SS Lazio v ACF Fiorentina – Serie A Nikola Milenkovic of Fiorentina at Olimpico Stadium in Rome, Italy on October 7, 2018 (Photo by Matteo Ciambelli/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

#4: Nikola Milenkovic (Fiorentina)

Nikola Milenkovic has been grabbing headlines after being linked with Manchester United and Tottenham. The Fiorentina defender is one of the best young prospects available in the world right now and would help in shoring up the leaky United defence, should Mourinho convince Ed Woodward to sign him.

Usually operating as a center-back, the 21-year-old would slot in perfectly as a partner for Eric Baily in the heart of the defence. He is also capable of playing as a right-back, which means Diogo Dalot will have a fine deputy, albeit not off the field but alongside him.

For Nikola Milenkovic, his numbers have put forth a strong case.

He is an efficient tackler, making 1.2 tackles per game. He also makes an average 1 interception per game.

He also bags 3.4 clearances per game and rarely gets dribbled past by the opposition attackers. He is also a commanding presence in the air, winning 2.4 aerial balls per game. A cherry on the cake is his 195cm tall stature, an attribute Jose Mourinho just loves to have in his players.

Milenkovic is also a ball-playing defender who has an awesome rate of 4.6 long balls per game. His tall stature also makes him an indirect threat during set-pieces and also a calming presence when defending them.

With Tottenham also trying their best to poach the defender, it will be interesting to see if Jose Mourinho is able to convince Nikola Milenkovic to choose Old Trafford as his next destination.