Manchester United's hopes of signing Sergej Milinkovic-Savic this summer have been handed a boost, with the latest reports suggesting that his agent is pushing Erik ten Hag's side to sign him in the event of missing out on Frenkie de Jong.

What's the word?

According to The Telegraph, the 27-year-old's representatives are moving the Old Trafford outfit towards the Serbian who could be available for €50m (£42m).

Ten Hag has spent much of the summer looking to recruit a top-level midfielder in De Jong but with a move for the Dutchman seemingly not on the cards, the former Ajax boss is being urged to take a look at the Lazio midfielder as an 'alternative'.

Ten Hag needs Milinkovic-Savic

The Red Devils have lost the likes of Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic, Jesse Lingard and Juan Mata from their squad this summer but have so far only brought in Christian Eriksen as a replacement, so it seems clear that new midfield additions are required if United are to improve on a woeful start to the Premier League season.

Milinkovic-Savic showed with his performances last season that he could be a phenomenal addition at Old Trafford.

The Serbian midfielder contributed 11 goals and 11 assists in 37 Serie A appearances, averaging a superb 7.37 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

This would have ranked him as comfortably the top performer in United's side, while he also would have had the most combined goals and assists, so it is clear to see what he would add to Ten Hag's squad if he were to join before the transfer window closes.

Journalist Jerry Mancini was full of praise for Milinkovic-Savic earlier in the summer, writing:

"Sergej Milinkovic-Savic is the complete midfielder. A box-to-box midfielder with every attribute you'd want. It's difficult to press him. Each season he gets better and better. World Class Midfielder. The strongest and best midfielder in Serie A."

The words 'world-class' should do enough to excite the fanbase at Old Trafford with supporters enduring a few wretched years of a rather mediocre midfield duo.

That pairing is Fred and Scott McTominay, who have both failed to play a single 90 minutes this term, so far. As a result, it is clear that Ten Hag needs more quality in the middle of the park, so the Glazers should sanction a move for Milinkovic-Savic as soon as possible.