By admin 
Nemanja Vidic is hoping Nottingham Forest defender Nikola Milenkovic can go on to become a greater defender than him.
In December, Milenkovic scored just two minutes into the 3-2 win over Manchester United – the club where Vidic made his name and grew to be adored.
As the two sides prepare to meet again tonight, with Forest in third place and United sitting in 13th, both spoke on the comparisons between themselves.
“It is natural,” Vidic said to BBC Sport. “Maybe I set the bar higher for defenders. But the bar I put there is to be broken.
“The new generation from Serbia will look at the way I played, but their target is to do better than I did in my career.”
During his time at United, Vidic won five Premier League titles, three FA Cups, a Champions League, and a Club World Cup. On an individual level, he was twice named Premier League Player of the Year – an honour shared by only Kevin De Bruyne, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Thierry Henry – and featured in the league’s Team of the Year four times.
Milenkovic, who has previously called Vidic his childhood “idol,” acknowledged that matching those accomplishments may not be realistic, but it is something he dreams of nontheless.
He said: “He set the standards for defenders in Serbia. He is our best player ever and I grew up watching the videos of his games.
“It was his leadership on the pitch and the way he played. He was willing to sacrifice for other players, to do everything not to concede a goal, to live for a clean sheet. This is what I took from him.
🗣️ “We need to keep our feet on the ground!’’@NFFC’s Nikola Milenkovic spoke to @aarransummers about the growing @ChampionsLeague buzz at Forest, ahead of Tuesday’s @premierleague clash with @ManUtd.#beINPL #NFOMUN #NFFC 🌳 pic.twitter.com/lYAnmW38SU
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS_EN) March 31, 2025
“Also, his reading of the game was very good. He was a very intelligent player and really aggressive on the pitch.”
Though Vidic and Milenkovic have never met, the United legend has kept an eye on his career, following his development from his early days at Partizan Belgrade, through seven seasons with Fiorentina in Serie A, before his move to Forest for £12m last summer.
Milenkovic has been nominated for the Premier League’s Player of the Month for March, adding to Forest’s impressive FA Cup semi-final run.
“He is a great representative for Serbian football,” Vidic added. “He is a great example for how players should behave and work hard to try and succeed and maintain their careers.
“He likes to defend and has improved a lot in terms of the tactical side because he played in Italy.
“It is not fair to compare [with me]. He has his own abilities and has a good career. He is 27 and for a defender that is still young.
“It is good to say ‘when I was young, Vidic was the target I wanted to aim for’. But players should push themselves to go even higher than their idols and the people they are being compared to.
“He is 27. I came to England when I was 24 or 25. He has much more to give.”