Milenkovic reminiscent of Vidic at Old Trafford

It all seemed like a blast from the past.

A Serbian defender jumps in the opponent's box at the Old Trafford and puts the ball in the net with a strong header.

No, former Manchester United captain Nemanja Vidic did not return to the pitch, but for a brief moment Nottingham Forest defender Nikola Milenkovic strongly reminded of him.

That is why the second minute of the match at the so-called 'Theatre of Dreams' will forever be saved in his mind under the title - the moment when I scored my first Premier League goal.

"I'm happy about the goal, a special moment for me, but the victory comes first", Milenkovic said after the 3-2 victory on Saturday.

The 27-year-old might have been named player of the match but, as he made sure to emphasise, he is "proud of the whole team, how we defended and functioned as a group".

Milenkovic, born in Belgrade and raised at the academy of FC Partizan - one of the two Serbian football giants - arrived in Nottingham this summer from Italian side Fiorentina, where he had spent seven years.

He quickly found his place in the heart of Forest's defence and this has paid off heavily for coach Nuno Espirito Santo. In 15 league games Forest have played this season, they have conceded only 18 times. That makes them one of the best defences, after Liverpool and Arsenal.

As a result, the Serbian media are full of praise for Milenkovic. Some are saying that he spent too much time at Fiorentina, while others are speculating which big club might snatch him if he continues with his level of performances.

In the meantime, Forest continue to be the most pleasant surprise of the Premier League season so far.

Their current fifth-place position has sparked the imagination of fans that the former European Cup champions might soon have their first matches in continental competition for more than 30 years.