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Pat Riddell
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Nottingham Forest needed a centre-back who was good in the air. Nikola Milenkovic impressed in last summer’s European Championships for Serbia. The Premier League side subsequently signed the 26-year-old from Fiorentina for £12m.

Things don’t normally happen this easily in football.

For example, defender Josko Gvardiol caught the eye for Croatia in the World Cup and went on to sign for Manchester City for £77m… which is probably about the current value of Milenkovic’s new defensive partner, Murillo — also 22 and also left-footed.

But still, the point is identifying and signing Serbian Milenkovic as the missing part of the club’s defensive jigsaw was a moment of genius from Forest’s recruitment team. Manchester United, West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur, to name a few, were all linked with Milenkovic just a few years ago for a fee rumoured to be around £25m.

According to WhoScored, of the 297 players to contest 25 or more aerial duels in Serie A last season, the now Serbian captain had the best success rate at 79.4%. Forest’s weakness defending set pieces, as well as deficiency in height, was practically solved in an instant.

But he’s no lumbering centre-back. At 6ft 4in, he’s obviously tall, but he reads the game well, organises the defence and is a calm figure at the back. He’s seen stepping up to intercept passes, disrupting opposition moves, bullying strikers and quickly giving the ball to team-mates, meaning Forest can be on the front foot to break.

His presence allows Murillo to play the expansive game he wants and, importantly, provides the experience of a partner that only Willy Boly was able to offer the Brazilian last season. Of course, Forest’s record as the second-meanest defence in the Premier League this season — just six goals conceded — is not entirely down to Milenkovic.

Manager Nuno Espirito Santo had a full pre-season at the club, Matz Sels has provided confidence in goal (as well as across the pitch) and, apparent from watching almost any game this season, the squad have an understanding and belief in themselves. A period of stability at Forest means it’s just a bit of fine-tuning to get the engine ticking along nicely — and Milenkovic has become a very important cog in that machine.

Find more from Pat Riddell at The Famous Club, external