pwshub.com

Nemanja Matic says United have made a 'big mistake' selling key player

Former Manchester United player, Nemanja Matic, has claimed the Red Devils could regret selling a key player after he was sold on transfer deadline day.

Posting on X, the Lyon player shared his opinion that '#manunited made a mistake by selling' the player without replacing him in this transfer window.

He also praised the player's new manager, saying he is a 'smart man', with it expected the midfielder can help improve the team's own title challenge this season.

The post has divided fan opinion on the social media platform, however, as they share different perspectives on the 27-year-old's transfer away from Old Trafford.

Matic also stated Red Devils' manager Erik ten Hag will find it 'difficult to replace' a player like him, and fill the Scot McTominay-sized hole in his midfield.

Nemanja Matic has said United have made a big mistake in selling a key midfielder this summer

Matic says Scott McTominay (pictured) is a 'hard to replace' player, after his transfer to Napoli

Matic believes McTominay's sale could create future problems for United boss, Erik ten Hag

Many fans believe the new £50m-rate midfielder Manuel Ugarte, 23, will give United's midfield a renewed energy, but others are questioning why a player like McTominay – who has spent his entire career at the club – would be moved on.

One fan summed it up with conflicting feeling: 'Man Utd decided to be a possession team. And [McTominay] has not got the ability to hold the ball nicely. Still I agree with you. Mctom is the very core of the team'. 

McTominay completed a £25.7million move to Napoli on Deadline Day on Friday, ending his 22-year association with Manchester United.

He had spent his entire club career to date at Old Trafford, having first become involved with the United youth system aged five.

He made his Red Devils debut in 2017, and tallied 255 senior appearances in total for the club, never having been sent on loan.

Mail Sport understands that Napoli will pay a transfer fee in the region of £25.7m for McTominay, who featured off the bench in both of United's Premier League games so far this season, while a 10 per cent sell-on clause is also included in the deal.

Nemanja Matic considered the transfer a good piece of business for Napoli, crediting manager Antonio Conte as being 'a smart man'. 

Matic was a two-time Premier League winner with Chelsea, having played for two spells at Stamford Bridge.

In his first, between 2009 and 2010, he was a part of a Carlo Ancelotti squad that lifted the FA Cup, before leaving for Portuguese side, Benfica, in 2011.  

McTominay (middle) has been at United for 22 years having signed for the club aged five

Napoli boss Antonio Conte (right) has been credited with doing a smart bit of business

Scott McTominay (right) joins another United star talent, Jadon Sancho (centre right) in an Old Trafford exit on deadline day of the summer 2024 transfer window

He'd return in 2013 and play a role in Jose Mourino's league-EFL-Cup-winning side of 2014-15,  and become a Premier League winner again in 2016-17, under the stewardship of Conte in his debut season.

Matic then made a move to Manchester United, where he'd spend five seasons between 2017 and 2022. Stints at Roma and Rennes would follow, before ending up at current club Lyon in January 2024, where he helped pull the French giants out of a relegation through the latter half of last season.

Source: dailymail.co.uk

Related stories
1 week ago - SAMI MOKBEL: Declan Rice's decision to play for England , despite having played three times for the Republic of Ireland, was one of football's worst kept secrets when he swapped allegiances.
6 days ago - His father's name is one recognisable to every Premier League fan, having spent nine seasons in the English top flight during his illustrious career at Old Trafford.
1 month ago - Benitez is one of the Reds' most successful managers of the modern era, masterminding their fairy tale Champions League win over AC Milan in 2005 and an FA Cup triumph in 2006.
1 month ago - The former Ajax captain, 25, worked with United manager Erik ten Hag at the Dutch club before his departure for Juventus in 2019, and the boss was keen to link up with the defender for some time.
Other stories
1 minute ago - JOE BERNSTEIN AT THE GEWISS STADIUM: Mikel Arteta's side had to call on David Raya to pull off a fine double save from Mateo Retegui as they were forced to defend for large periods.
1 minute ago - Barcelona defender Eric Garcia was eventually sent off in Thursday's Champions League opener against AS Monaco after the referee got his cards muddled up.  
1 minute ago - Both players have become undroppable under Mikel Arteta and been credited as a major force behind the Gunners' recent Premier League title challenges.
1 minute ago - David Raya produced two moments of brilliance to stop Arsenal going behind in their Champions League opener against Atalanta on Thursday night.
2 minutes ago - ISAAN KHAN AT THE GEWISS STADIUM: How David Raya denied Mateo Retegui not once, but twice, only he knows.