Manchester United have officially announced the signing of Nemanja Matic on a three-year deal from Chelsea
According to a report by Manchester United’s official website, Nemanja Matic has completed a sensational move from Chelsea and signed a three-year deal with the Red Devils. The Serbian midfielder has been linked with a move to United for a while now even as they signed high-profile deals with Victor Lindelof and Romelu Lukaku.
Matic marks manager Jose Mourinho’s third big signing of the summer, much to the delight of the United fans. The Portuguese boss has played with Matic earlier when he was in charge of Chelsea and will be quite familiar with the playing style of the midfielder.
Matic rejoined Chelsea from Benfica in 2014 and it was a rather topsy-turvy ordeal for the midfielder at Stamford Bridge. Although he managed to cement a position for himself as the Blues romped to a title victory in 2015, he was out of form for a major chunk of the 2015/16 season as Chelsea finished 10th in the Premier League.
The Blues came back with a vengeance and reclaimed the Premier League title this past season, and Matic once again played a key role for his side. The player does have the tendency to go off form now and then, which probably explains why Conte signed Tiemoue Bakayoko in an attempt to strengthen the midfield.
Bakayoko’s arrival will reduce Matic to being a bit-part player since N’Golo Kante has been a rock for Chelsea. Hence, the move to join Jose Mourinho at Manchester United can greatly benefit Matic.
The former Chelsea manager currently has the likes of Ander Herrera, Paul Pogba, Marouane Fellaini and Michael Carrick as his options in midfield but Carrick has slowed down and cannot play week in week out. However, since Mourinho already has a number of alternatives, Matic is unlikely to be an issue even if he goes out of form.
When in form though, Matic is a force to be reckoned with and United have been in need a solid presence to guard the defence while also providing Pogba greater scope to play freely. The Serbian can prove to be an ideal option to do so and Mourinho will be happy to re-unite with a player he won the 2014/15 season with.
