Nemanja Matic was essentially a manager on the pitch for Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United, but he’s pretty much frozen out these days. The Serbian saw his United career get off to a rollicking start in 2016-17 as he was the midfield maestro setting up the goals for everybody.
His form has since dropped, but he remained a first team regular under new manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer last season. This season is an entirely different story though as he’s played just 22 minutes this season in four games. Obviously, he’s not happy about that, nor should he be.
And in his comments to reporters today, ahead of this weekend’s Serbia-Portgual Euro qualifier, he did not hold back his frustration and disappointment. Matic started by placing the onus on Solskjaer if United aren’t successful this season.
“The coach must opt for the team that will fight for the title and if he does not win, he bears the responsibility,” he said.
“I have been in football for a long time, I have played almost all the games for all the clubs in the last 10 years. In order for me to play, one had to sit on the bench and accept that fact, and so do I now.”
United took only five points from the first four games, and currently sit eighth in the Premier League table at the first international break. United did nothing to improve their midfield this summer transfer window despite Ander Herrera walking away for free at the end of the season and last year’s main summer acquisition, Fred, being a total bust.
They never found a replacement for Marouane Fellaini either. Despite this diminished quality in the position group, Nemanja Matic still doesn’t seem to be able to get a game.
“In the first two or three games he picked the team without me,” Matic continued. “I work as hard as I can.”
“We respect the decision, it’s up to me to show him that he was wrong and to bring me back to where I belong.
“There is no problem. I told him I disagreed with him but that he had to decide the team.”
While Matic is essentially saying all the right things there: he doesn’t have a problem, it’s the manager’s decision, etc., he doesn’t really mean it. If he was really content with the situation, he would not have made these comments in the first place.
It will be interesting to see what Solskjaer has to say when he meets with the media pre-Leicester City a week from tomorrow.
Also, don’t be surprised if you see some Nemanja Matic transfer rumors as we get closer to the January window.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
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