Manchester United have identified Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic as their main alternative if their move for Frenkie de Jong falls through, according to reports.

The Serbian is likely to cost at least €70m (£59m) which is slightly less than what Barcelona are asking for de Jong. However, he does play in more advanced positions than the Dutchman.

With that being the case, it has led to a mixed reaction on Twitter, with some fans favouring the move, while others have questioned whether Milinkovic-Savic is the type of player the club actually need:

Definitely an ideal signing in place of de jong

— Ame (@Deadshot_429) July 25, 2022

Very good, excellent player but not what @ManUtd needs at the moment

— Suhail H Saulawa 🆖 (@Officer_suhail) July 25, 2022

Prefer this over De Jong

— Scotty Partis (@ScottypOscar) July 25, 2022

I like sms, i really do, but I don't see him as a de jong replacement tbh, as far is I can tell from what I've seen, he's more of an 8 rather than a 6, he's an incredible player, but not quite the right fit for what we're looking for, I'd argue ndidi or sangare would suit better

— Rossi Breedon (@efeec9e73d8b413) July 25, 2022

I want him over de jong .. frenkie doesn't really wanna be by us

— skett (@ZEssMAsterSKett) July 25, 2022

He's good. But I can say that most of us prefer Ruben Neves rather than him. PL proven, good at set pieces, and good shooting ability which is the one that we've been missing for so long

— ٩(͡๏̯͡๏)۶ (@akmalaffendi) July 26, 2022

.. 👍 I would prefer signing him over de Jong. More physical and solid defensively.

— Morad Elshehabi (@moradsays) July 25, 2022

And will he play the holding midfield role? Good player but we better get a solid specialist DM if we won't regret this season

— Danny of Osun (@danieladediran4) July 25, 2022

Considering manager Erik ten Hag already has the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Donny van de Beek and now Christian Eriksen who can be deployed as either a no.8 or no.10, it’s hard to see where Milinkovic-Savic would fit in.

The 27-year-old is undoubtedly a very talented player (and he has also been linked to Chelsea and Arsenal), but you’d have to think that ten Hag would much prefer recruiting de Jong or someone else who can play in a deeper role.