Manchester United announced their third signing of the summer on Monday afternoon – the acquisition of Nemanja Matic from Chelsea on a three-year deal.
To find out a bit more about the Serbian, we spoke to Ryan Darby, editor of readchelsea.com …
1) First and foremost, how do you feel about Matic leaving Chelsea?
RD: It’s a strange one to be honest. Both teams have come out of this well. I don’t think for one minute he’s a £40 million player, but something doesn’t seem right about selling to Manchester United.
We signed him for just £21 million, got the best out him, he helped us win two Premier League titles and we’ve sold him on for £40 million, so all in all that’s a good deal for Chelsea.
He played an influential role in the year that Jose Mourinho guided us to a Premier League title, but injuries have changed him, physically and mentally. He’s never been the same player that he was during the 2014-15 season, where he was arguably in our top three players of the season.
There’s a strange feeling among Chelsea fans. Matic had become something of a scapegoat. A quick scan of Twitter would give you the impression that fans are thankful to see him go, while that may be the case, it’s not so clear cut.
2) Do you feel that Chelsea have strengthened a rival in letting him move to United?
RD: As I said before, it doesn’t quite feel right and that’s because he does strengthen your squad. He’s the sort of player that you need and he’s worked under Mourinho before.
He’s been a great servant to the club, helped us massively to win trophies since he re-joined and now moves on with his best football, in a Chelsea shirt anyway, behind him, so it’s kind of catch-22 for Chelsea fans.
We’ve definitely strengthened a rival, but we’ve also got £40 million in the bank with a younger replacement already signed.
4) What’s his best role and how adaptable is he?
RD: He enjoyed more of an advanced role last season in the middle of the park, playing next to N’Golo Kante really helped him.
I don’t see him being the defensive rock that United fans have been calling out for, but he definitely adds some stability to your midfield. His mobility has held him back as the years have gone on and it has really shown at times.
He’s more than capable of playing in a more defensive role but he was often caught out as his game naturally sees him drift forward.
4) We’ve all seen his shooting ability, first with his Puskas-nominated goal at Benfica then his Wembley strike this year… does he get many shots off?
RD: He has a knack of scoring great goals. He also scored a fantastic effort away at Everton that came out of nowhere. It’s definitely something he has in his locker! He was more prone to the effort on goal under Antonio Conte compared to the days under Mourinho but he’s more than capable of it if presented the chance. Don’t expect for him to scoring bucket loads though…
5) United need a defensive shield to allow Pogba to move forward and someone who can distribute from deep… does Matic fit that criteria?
RD: He absolutely ticks all the boxes that United are looking for, but I don’t know if that’s where you could potentially see the best of him. He was our most underrated player during the year that we lifted the Premier League trophy under Mourinho.
He was a rock in midfield, intercepting every ball and winning every tackle. Ironically it was during the 2014-15 season that we saw the best of him, but it does at times feel like he was playing with the handbrake on, unfortunately, he’s never really discovered that level of form again.
It was during that season that he was on the wrong end of a horrific tackle from Ashley Barnes, which he reacted badly to. That was one of the turning points for him, along with a number of niggling little injuries along the way.
6) Is he a leader? United have a lot of younger players and could do with more leadership qualities in the starting XI
RD: He’s experienced and he knows how to win titles, but I wouldn’t put him down as a leader. He was one of many players that buckled under the pressure during the campaign that Mourinho was sacked for the second time by the club.
7) How do expect him to settle at United?
RD: Having worked with Mourinho before I don’t think it will take him long to settle. Being able to bring someone in that knows how the manager works and doesn’t need the time to adapt to the Premier League is a huge bonus for United.
You can follow Ryan on Twitter at @RyanDarby_.
