In his last update on March 3rd regarding Mourinho and Berta, our editor in chief Gianluca Di Marzio mentioned that the Special One was targeting a central defender, a midfielder and a top striker to relaunch Manchester United next season (we have had no updates on Mourinho nor Berta since then). Last week we got the name of the first candidate to bolster the Red Devils’ backline in Nikola Maksimovic, a player who has been compared to Vidic in his home country Serbia.
While Maksimovic may not be very well known outside of Italy, he’s rightfully considered one of the best center backs in Serie A. But don’t take that from me, in fact Napoli (one of the shrewdest clubs in Italy) has been after him since last summer, but it now appears they will not be able to land him because of Torino’s high demands.
Maksimovic does not get much attention since he plays for a mid table club and because Torino’s other main center back, Kamil Glik, is not only the team’s captain, but also had a propensity to score goals (last season he scored 7)- in addition Maksimovic missed a good chunk of the season because of a foot injury, since returning he has appeared in 14 Serie A matches.
But make no mistake about it, Maksimovic brings a lot to the table. The Serbian defender is fast for a player who is as tall as he is (190 centimeters), he is a good man marker who uses his height well in aerial duels. But in addition to his defensive ability, Maksimovic is also an excellent passer- in a way his style of play is reminiscent of Juventus’ backline “regista” Leo Bonucci. In fact Maksimovic has such a varied skill set that he can also play in the midfield.
Torino will look to get a big return for arguably their most valuable asset, they had asked Napoli for a transfer fee comparable to what Roma received for Romagnoli last summer (25 million euro plus add ons). In previous transfer windows Torino moved Cerci and Immobile, followed by Darmian who joined United last summer for the highest incoming transfer fee of Cairo’s presidency at the club.
While many have been critical of Darmian (and bring that up as a concern with Maksimovic) it’s important to remember last October many United fans were calling him the best right back in Premier League, and since then the entire club has been in a funk. Makismovic would be able to get used to the Premier League while having a defender he already knows on the backline should the deal go through, a move that would also benefit Darmian.
Maksimovic has all the tools to be successful in the Premier League, he has shown that he’s ready to take the next step in his career as he enters his prime (he will turn 25 next November) , while there is no guarantee he will live up to Vidic’s legacy, he could be an intriguing addition for Manchester United.
