Jose Mourinho has barely touched the seat of the Old Trafford gaffer’s chair, and already speculation is white hot as to who he will get the chequebook out for first.
As representatives of both club and coach begin talks to bring the two together, the media has already identified Nemanja Matic as the first target of the Mourinho era.
Matic has had a season hindered, like the rest of the squad, by fraught inconsistency. Constantly under the cosh for the overrunning the midfield has suffered time after time, and being dipped in and out of the first team squad along with Cesc Fabregas, and John Obi Mikel has not helped the Blues maintain any levels of consistency this season.
With the impending arrival of Antonio Conte, an overhaul of the squad of underachievers is expected. Matic may be one of the first to head for the exit door as he seeks success. With Mourinho inbound, it would be an excellent match.
The 27 year old would provide the perfect replacement for ailing midfielders Michael Carrick and Bastian Schweinsteiger, both of whom remain uncertain over their futures in Manchester. Often described as one of the best in his position, certainly dominant in England, he is the steel United so dearly need.
His costs, for their worth, work out at at least £25 million for the Serb, who rejoined the Blues in 2014 and endured a highly fruitful partnership with Cesc Fabregas in the pair’s first season together.
An ideal signing, and with Mourinho a perfect coach for him, we may see Matic pulling on the red of United, provided Mourinho can navigate the stumbling block that is the lack of Champions League football. Can Matic live without the taste of Europe’s elite coming to his doorstep? He won’t get it next year with Chelsea, but United’s Europa League contention may just be enough to bring him north.
