Since the departure of Jose Mourinho, Nemanja Matic has found himself out of the Old Trafford spotlight. The midfielder has played just 30 times across all competitions since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took charge back in December 2018, and this season has seen him feature on only 12 occasions.
Amidst speculation linking him with a potential move away from the club, Matic was given another chance to shine against Norwich on Saturday afternoon.
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And the 31-year-old duly took it with both hands. He made a team-high four tackles, had an 86% pass accuracy and also won seven total duels as per Sofascore.
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After seeing his display, United fans took to Twitter to voice their thoughts on the holding midfielder.
Matic is class
— AM9 (@KingTMartial9) 12 January 2020
Silent Worker
— Vickram (@Ayodejivictor_7) 12 January 2020
Some fans discussed Matic’s importance to the side in relation to United’s current midfield options, with a couple claiming that he is a far better footballer than Scott McTominay.
Matic is atleast ten time the footballer McTominay will ever be. Underrated passing, better ball retention in tight areas and better at tracking runs. Legs are gone which is why two games a week is just too much for him but with managed workload, Matic is a good player.
— Uday (@MUday__3) 12 January 2020
Him and Fred compliment each other tbf
— Pablo Hussain (@Najib_1210) 13 January 2020
It doesn’t make you wonder anything, it’s very simple. Nemanja Matic is a vastly superior footballer to Scott Mctominay. Just because he doesn’t run around like a headless chicken kicking people and thumping the badge doesn’t change that. https://t.co/uM7tVx2YOV
— Mike (@Mike87_MUFC) 12 January 2020
A few fans of the Manchester side admitted that if Matic continues to perform like he did against Norwich, then they would be in favour of seeing him stay.
Ngl, I wanted matic to be sold this summer, but if he’s playing like he is, I don’t see why we shouldn’t keep him for one more season if we don’t find a replacement. #MUFC
— TheUnitedTalks (@TheUnitedTalks) 12 January 2020
Matic has been solid since he came back to the Team. We shouldn’t sell him this window
— MUFC (@MUFC1235) 12 January 2020
If matic can keep up his half decent run , I’m all for him staying
— BIG Cp MUFC (@CraigPirotta) 12 January 2020
As reports continue to circulate over his long-term future at the club, Matic’s impressive performance against Norwich certainly delivered a reminder that he may still have a bit to offer. Of course, Saturday afternoon’s display should be taken with a pinch of salt considering the opponents were rooted bottom to the Premier League table, but the midfielder certainly took advantage of his chance to shine.
Meanwhile, Manchester United have fans reacted to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s update on the club’s transfer plans.