Manchester United’s Head of Academy Nicky Butt claims midfield target Nemanja Matić would be "appreciated" by his teammates if he joined the club, per Unibet.
The 42-year-old, a Red Devils midfielder himself from 1992-2004, suggested the Chelsea player could make a difference at Old Trafford if he was to join from the Premier League champions.
Matić an important team player
Butt explained that the Serbia international is someone who “doesn’t get the same attention as a goalscorer” but is “a team player.”
He said that Matić would be “happy to sit in front of the back four” and added that his work “is appreciated by his teammates.”
Matić wouldn’t be a particularly glamorous signing but has certainly carried out his defensive midfield duties very well for most of his time at Chelsea, at first under current United boss José Mourinho and more recently with Antonio Conte at the helm.
Butt, who often played in a similar type of role for Sir Alex Ferguson’s past United sides, declared that a team’s best players “are not always match winners,” but rather those “who can play in a team.”
A reliable figure
As someone who has previously worked with Mourinho, Matić is clearly someone who is well trusted by the United manager.
The 28-year-old could play behind the likes of Paul Pogba and Ander Herrera at the base of a midfield three and finally resolve the issue of replacing Michael Carrick as the club’s chief defensive midfielder, even if playing in a slightly different style.
Matić played a prominent role in Chelsea’s Premier League title triumph last season and also won the trophy while Mourinho was in charge. Those experiences of success will no doubt make the player an attractive proposition for the Red Devils boss.
The former Benfica midfielder could be one of two familiar faces joining Mourinho this summer, with United now also heavily linked with a move for Everton striker Romelu Lukaku, another former Chelsea player.