Crystal Palace Opinion: Why Roy Hodgson should not sell Luka Milivojevic?

According to a report from Calciomercato, AC Milan are interested in Crystal Palace midfield ace Luka Milivojevic.

The Serbian, 27, joined the Eagles from Olympiakos back in January 2017 and has since gone onto establish himself as one of the Premier League’s most solid yet underrated central midfielders. He has netted 10 goals in 32 appearances for the south Londoners this season, although most of them have come from the penalty spot.

Luka Milivojevic, however, is contracted at Crystal Palace until the summer of 2020, meaning the club could be tempted to cash him in this summer in order to avoid losing him on a free next year. But Roy Hodgson should keep hold of his skipper amidst interest from AC Milan.

The Serbian international was an unknown commodity before arriving in the Premier League a couple of years ago. But he has been worth every penny for Palace, starring in the middle of the park since the past two seasons.

Wilfried Zaha hogs most of the limelight as a Palace player and is one of the first names on Hodgson’s team-sheet due to his ability to score and assist goals in equal measure and win games single-handedly. But very few acknowledge the fact that how important Milivojevic is to the Eagles and the role he plays to keep Hodgson’s side ticking all over.

A defensive midfielder by trade, Milivojevic is a good passer of the ball and possesses the ability to pick a pass from deep. The Serbian covers a lot of ground, breaks the opposition’s play and launches attacks from the back, thus doing the job expected from a cultured defensive midfielder.

The 27-year-old is the team’s leader, known for his tenacity, aggression and work-rate. He has contributed with 10 goals and an assist this season so far, which is a fantastic return from a holding midfielder even though the majority of them have come from spot-kicks.

A set-piece expert, Milivojevic has brought a lot of balance and calmness to the Palace midfield since making the move from Greece in 2017. Taking everything into account, the former Anderlecht man is one of the main reasons why Palace have done well in the last two seasons.

Verdict

Hence, it’s easy to make out why Milivojevic is an indispensable figure for Hodgson and company. Selling him in the summer would be a big mistake; instead, Crystal Palace should offer the Serbian a bumper new deal at the end of the season and see how things pan out.

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Without any second thoughts, Milivojevic is a player Hodgson should do everything to retain, even if Milan come calling with a big offer in the summer.