Nemanja Matic moved from Chelsea to Manchester United in early August on a £35 million deal. The final signing of the summer transfer window for United, the Serbian was manager Jose Mourinho’s top midfield target all along.
Matic and Mourinho made beautiful music together at Stamford Bridge, winning two Premier League titles in three seasons. On Sunday, Matic heads back to the Bridge for the first time as an opponent. How will he be received by the home crowd- warmly? mixed?
With boos?
If it’s the last category of the three, Nemanja Matic says he doesn’t care. He’ll handle being the villain, if he needs be.
“When I played there I always gave 100 percent and we won two titles together. I’m sure they respect that, but if not I don’t really care,” Matic told a news conference.
“I spent a good time there, three-and-a-half years, which is a long time, and of course it’s going to be something special for me to play again in that stadium, he continued, “but now I’m on the opposite side, I have to be professional and do the best for my team.
“I don’t have to prove to them anything. I just have to prove something to my new club.”
There has been debate as to who exactly sanctioned the sale of Matic to United, but some reports at the time indicated the order came down from owner Roman Abramovich himself. At the time, relations between United and Chelsea were even more strained than usual with Old Trafford having swooped in and hijacked the London club’s deal for the Everton striker.
BBC Pundit and United club legend Phil Neville said that whoever let Matic go should be sacked (amongst the many colorful things he had to say in his commentary about the Nemanja Matic deal, and what has happened to both clubs since).
Matic would not say if it was the reclusive, secretive Russian billionaire oligarch who approved his Chelsea exit or not. Instead he was coy about the inner workings of his transfer situation.
“I cannot say,” he said. “The only thing I can say is that I am happy to be part of this club. I’m happy to working with Mourinho. That’s all I can say.”
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now and Minute Media. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV and Chicago Now.
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