Former Manchester United defender Patrice Evra has said that Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic must show that he is ready to "die" for the Red Devils if he joins the club.

Milinkovic-Savic, who has been strongly linked with a move to Old Trafford, impressed for Serbia in their 1-0 win over Costa Rica at the 2018 World Cup on Sunday afternoon.

The 23-year-old scored 14 times and provided nine assists during an impressive 2017-18 campaign with Lazio, but Evra has insisted that the midfielder must prove that he has the 'character and personality' to represent the 20-time English champions.

"I'm really careful when I talk about Manchester United, because to play for this club, it's not about your ability. You need to be a character, a personality," Evra told ITV.

"To play for this club, you need to die for this club. The expectations are really huge and I'm afraid now. If you said to me 'Patrice, you will play for Man Utd, but you won't even get paid', I would play for this club.

"So, if he has that mentality - I don't ask him to say he doesn't want any money - but if he goes there and makes sure he will die for the club, I will be really happy."

Real Madrid and Juventus have also been credited with an interest in the powerful midfielder.