Manchester United’s Nemanja Matic set to join AS Roma
Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic is set to reunite with Jose Mourinho at AS Roma, according to renowned transfer specialist Gianluca Di Marzio. He will sign a two-year contract and work with the Portuguese coach for the third time in his career.
Matic was one of many Manchester United players expected to leave this summer. Prior to the departure speculation, the club announced Jesse Lingard and Paul Pogba’s exits; both on a free transfer. The 33-year-old is also poised to leave for no fee, as his contract expires this summer.
Matic was recalled from Benfica to Chelsea when Mourinho returned to the club himself for his second stint. In just their second season together, the duo landed the Premier League title at Stamford Bridge.
Following another PL triumph under Antonio Conte, the Serbian was signed by Mourinho at Manchester United. After 189 appearances that also saw him light up the stage with four goals, he is set to move to the Serie A.
The inaugural UEFA Conference League champions view Matic as a midfield general, as per the above report. Mourinho feels he is a leader, a senior figure needed to take them to the top. Their relationship, regardless, has been very loyal and civil over the years.
Recently in an interview, Mourinho lavished praise on Matic, stating “Everyone knows my relationship with Nemanja. He’s one of the guys who I trust. We won together and we fought together at United too. He’s a fantastic, fantastic player.”
He might be in his 30s, but Matic possesses exceptional physicality and defensive discipline. He is not what you call a midfield metronome, but is someone who surely will protect his goal, spray passes all over the pitch and win more than his fair share of loose balls.
Whilst AS Roma look to cash in on players in line with their budget, Manchester United are working on refurbishing a divided squad. The Giallorossi missed out on Champions League qualification by seven points, and they’ll be looking to close that gap next season.
It appears as though Mourinho has been given the license to bring in the players of his choice.
Meanwhile, in an unrelated move, Roma midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan is slated to join Inter Milan with the wish to play UCL football once again.
-Akarshak Roy
Twitter: @RoyAkarshak
Photo: Ardfern. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.