🦁 Premier League Player of the Week: A new Barclaysman emerges

The Premier League returned after the first international break of the season with a bang, with several players catching the eye.

Erling Haaland made it nine goals in four games but our Player of the Week came from elsewhere, and he is…..

Nikola Milenković (Nottingham Forest)

Nottingham Forest’s 1-0 win at Liverpool was the first true shock result of the season, and one that was built on the continued rock solid defence of Nuno Espírito Santo’s side.

It is no coincidence that their improvement at the back – they have let in just two goals in their opening four games – has come in line with the arrival of Nikola Milenković last summer from Fiorentina, with him and Murillo quickly settling into a partnership.

Prior to the game, the Serbian centre-back said he had no fear of playing at Anfield, which for many, sounded like something that would come back to bite him against the Reds, who had enjoyed a dream start under Arne Slot.

However, Milenković has played in a far fiercer atmosphere, that of the Belgrade derby, on the side of Partizan, so English football stadiums are a near-park kickabout in comparison.

He played like it was one anyway, such was his command at the back which allowed Forest to keep the game tight, and eventually get their first win at the famous ground since 1969 through Callum Hudson-Odoi’s winner.

It was certainly a better outing against Liverpool than several of his countryman; Nemanja Vidić, who is Milenković’s self-professed idol but who also got sent off on four occasions while playing for Manchester United against their greatest rivals.

Many people predicted Forest would struggle this season, but judging by their very strong, and binary code-like, start to the league season (1-1, 0-1, 1-1, 0-1), they should avoid the relegation battles of their first two seasons back in the top flight.

Milenković already feels like a huge factor in that, and appears to be one of the bargains of the summer at just £12m.