What To Do With Nemanja Matic?

Manchester United are a full week away from their next competitive match. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side has been without any real action since the first day of the month and next Monday they will meet Chelsea in a big Premier League clash. But there is still a lot of time until that game and we should focus on other things.

One of those things is a subject that was so easily taken until just recently and it is about a player that deserves much more than he was maybe getting this season, mostly in terms of respect. Nemanja Matic was often described in a negative way, but let’s now take a closer look at him.

Poor Start Of The Season

The defensive midfielder and Serbia international really did not start the season well. As well as most of his teammates, he did not end last campaign properly and after a summer that had seen him get some minor injuries, Matic did not start the season well.

He was often looking sluggish and overrun through the middle of the park and everything and everyone was pointing to the fact that his time is gone and that Man United would be wise to sell him as soon as possible. But things started changing for the better.

The Big Return

After still having some injuries issues throughout the season, ever since getting recuperated, Matic has looked like a different player. He seems lighter and more agile, he is back to his usual qualities of guarding the ball in possession and moving it forwards and he has been one of the best Man United players in that timeframe.

This had seen Matic once again become a regular starter and playing alongside Fred in front of the back four. The two midfielders often complemented each other very well. Matic is much more confident in himself and that reflects on others as well.

Contract Situation

And now we are getting to the main catch in this whole situation. What to do with Nemanja Matic? The Serbian will be out of contract in the summer of 2020, after his initial three-year deal with the club comes to a conclusion. Man United have an option to extend the deal for another year and it remains to be seen what is the club hierarchy thinking about Matic’s stay at the club.

Matic will turn 32 on 1 August and it is obvious he is not at the level he was at four or five years ago.

Predicting The Future

So what to do? The feeling is that Man United will try and extend Matic’s contract at the club for at least another year, probably until the summer of 2021. The reasoning is that Man United are low on midfielders so far and with the expected changes this summer, it is hard to see them sign a handful of players only in the centre of the park. Also, this would give United more options if they choose to sell Matic in the summer or next January, but also give them the opportunity to see how big of a role the Serbian would be deserving.