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For Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to continue his unbeaten run as Manchester United boss, Nemanja Matic has to up his game or the Serbian must be dropped.

On the chalkboard

Matic was brought to Old Trafford by Jose Mourinho and remained a favourite of the Portuguese manager right up until his dismissal, despite failing to impress on numerous occasions.

Even since the former Chelsea boss was sacked and Solskjaer was brought in, Matic remains an integral member of the starting XI and yet his flaws continue to outshine his redeeming qualities.

In Sunday’s win at Leicester, the £31.5million rated ace could have cost his temporary boss his unbeaten record that instead stretched to ten games – nine wins – as he often cut a sluggish figure that spent more time watching the ball than winning it back.

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Altogether, the 30-year-old only actually recorded one successful tackle from four clear efforts, per WhoScored, as the Serbian was dribbled past on three occasions.

Matic is supposed to be the defensive midfielder in the ranks, but his presence needs to be more evident than it was at the King Power Stadium going forward.

Does he have a clear replacement?

What is likely keeping Matic in the starting XI under Solskjaer is a lack of a clear replacement.

Fred was sitting on the bench on Sunday and offered the nearest alternative to the 30-year-old, but as he has struggled more than most since joining Manchester United in the summer, he is unlikely to dislodge the 46-cap international anytime soon.

It will likely take Matic making a horrific error that leads to a goal or getting sent off before his name is not one of the first on the teamsheet, which will no doubt cost the Red Devils at some point.

Solskjaer could always throw a spanner in the works and move Ander Herrera into a deeper position, after the Spaniard set a team-high for tackles against the Foxes at the weekend with five.