Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic has reportedly told new Blues manager Antonio Conte that he wants to leave Stamford Bridge and join former boss Jose Mourinho at Manchester United.
Mourinho is said to be a big fan of the defensive midfielder who was brilliant in the Chelsea’s title winning season of 2014-15 where he made the PFA Team of the Year.
Last season Matic’s performance was representative of Chelsea’s season as a whole. He massively underperformed, something that played a factor in Mourinho getting sacked.
Mourinho famously substituted Matic just 27 minutes after coming off the bench in the 3-1 defeat to Southampton last season, but despite that Mou obviously thinks he can get Matic back to the form he had in 2014-15.
It is clear from Mourinho’s early transfer targets, Eric Bailly, Nemanja Matic and Zlatan Ibrahimović that is initial focus is strengthening the spine of the team.
The interest in Matic makes you wonder what Mourinho’s plans are for Morgan Schneiderlin, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Ander Herrera? With Michael Carrick coming back on a one-year deal and with Daley Blind able to offer cover in defence and midfield, Schweinsteiger and Herrera certainly seem like they would seem to be surplus requirements.
Schneiderlin, like Matic incidentally, was brilliant two-years ago at Southampton, form that made United pay Southampton £24 million for him. But he struggled, as did a lot of players, under van Gaal’s leadership. Could Mourinho help Schneiderlin recapture his form of two years ago? If he can, then a midfield two of Schneiderlin and Matic could match anyone in the Premier League?
But would Chelsea be willing to let one of their best players two years ago leave for a rival? Maybe, because The Mirror claims that Conte wants to pair Leicester City’s N’Golo Kante and Roma’s Radja Nainggolan in his midfield next season and Matic could be sold to help fund those purchases.
