The prospect of a central defensive partnership of Murillo and Nikola Milenkovic has got Nottingham Forest fans excited for the new season.

There is no doubt the Reds have been in need of strengthening at the back. Following the departures of Felipe, Scott McKenna, Loic Mbe Soh and Moussa Niakhate, they were left light on options – especially with Joe Worrall and Jonathan Panzo also likely to move on before the window closes.

Tying Willy Boly down to a new deal earlier in the summer was crucial. The 33-year-old will still be a key member of Nuno Espirito Santo’s squad in 2024/25, but is he going to be involved in every game?

Andrew Omobamidele, too, will no doubt have a part to play. But Forest appear to have overseen an excellent bit of business in Milenkovic for an initial £12 million. NottinghamshireLive takes a look at what supporters can expect.

Vidic comparison

At 6ft 5in, Milenkovic is certainly a commanding figure. He is good in the air, which will hopefully help Nuno in addressing the team’s set-piece problems. He is also capable of operating at right-back.

With more than 200 appearances for Fiorentina and 50-plus caps for Serbia to his name, he has plenty of experience under his belt. But at 26, he is still a good age to test himself in the Premier League.

A comparison with another Serbian defender perhaps bodes well for how he will take to English football. Former Serbia head coach Mladen Krstajic once said Milenkovic reminded him of Nemanja Vidic, who made his mark during a brilliant eight-year spell at Manchester United.

“I know Milenkovic well,” Krstajic said in 2018. “He’s centred and he knows how to behave well also in training. He reminds me of (Nemanja) Vidic.”

What did the man himself think of the comparison? As quoted by GOAL, he said at the time: “It is magnificent to be compared to the likes of Vidic, but I have to stay humble with both feet firmly on the ground. Vidic was one hell of a player, while I am in the fledgling stage of my career and, hence, I have to keep working hard in order to climb that mountain.”

He also said: “I would like to have his (Vidic’s) ability to put his opponent in difficulty, any opponent in the world.”

Career so far
Milenkovic came up through the ranks at Partizan Belgrade. He went on to make more than 30 league appearances for the club and also had a loan spell at Teleoptik before he joined Fiorentina in 2017 for a reported £4m.

For his country, Milenkovic was part of the Serbia squad for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, as well as for this year’s Euros. On all three occasions, he featured in every group stage match – including against England in Germany last month.

Once described as “fearless”, he has not been afraid to stand up to any opponent over the course of his career. He quickly gained cult hero status at Fiorentina when, aged 20 and playing Juventus, he pushed his forehead into Gonzalo Higuain’s after a heated exchange between the pair.

“I’ll tell you the truth, for me, the name of the opponent doesn’t matter,” Milenkovic said afterwards. “It’s never conditioned me.

“Everyone deserves respect and great application if you want to do your job well. The Juve centre-forward or not, they’re all the same for me, I have to do everything to stop them.”He has been known to pick up the odd red card during his career, but he sees them as something to learn from. Constantly improving is a key goal for him.

“I needed the reds; I learned from them,” he previously explained. “That’s my character: I always like to learn, to understand.

“Even when I was on the bench (at Fiorentina), I tried to absorb everything. I never missed a thing from the games I watched without playing.

“Only in this way can one improve. That has always been my mentality since I was a child.

“I watch the big games because I like football but above all else because I want to improve. One understands so many things by watching the best players.”

Premier League interest

After his exploits at the 2018 World Cup, Milenkovic was reportedly scouted by Manchester United. At the time, he was said to be valued in the region of 50m euros (£42m).