Manchester United defender Nemanja Matic will miss the start of the season with an injury, Jose Mourinho has revealed.
The midfielder has not featured in any of United’s Pre-season contests, and having returned from the World Cup with an injury, he underwent surgery that will see the Serbian sit out for a little while.
“Matic came from the World Cup with an injury and the time he had to rest on holiday was not enough to resolve the problem. He went to Philadelphia for a top specialist and he didn’t leave the clinic. He immediately had surgery,” manager Jose Mourinho revealed.
Matic’s absence will be a big blow to United and Jose Mourinho, who has lamented about the club’s slow transfer activity.
On 15 January 2014, Matić rejoined Chelsea for a fee of £21 million (€25M),on a five-and-a-half-year contract. He made his second debut for the club four days later, replacing Willian in a 3–1 win against Manchester United.
On 3 February, Matić made his first Premier League start in Chelsea’s fixture away at championship rivals Manchester City. He was named man of the match by Sky Sports as Chelsea ended City’s unbeaten run at the City of Manchester Stadium with a 1–0 win.
Matić scored his first Premier League goal on 30 August 2014, in a 6–3 win at Everton.A month later, Matić scored the only goal as Chelsea won away at Sporting CP in the group stage of the Champions League; on 5 November in the same competition, his goal earned Chelsea a 1–1 draw at Maribor.
Matić was given a straight red card in Chelsea’s 1–1 home draw against Burnley on 21 February 2015, for pushing over Ashley Barnes following a high tackle by him, which resulted in the bending of Matić’s shin. On appeal, his suspension was shortened to two matches, including the League Cup Final.
On 26 April 2015, Matić was named as one of four midfielders in the PFA Team of the Year, alongside teammate Eden Hazard. Four more Chelsea players were included in the selection.
On 12 September 2015, Matić scored his first goal of the 2015–16 Premier League season against Everton, but it was not enough to save Chelsea from a 3–1 loss.Matić was sent off for two yellow cards in the first half of Chelsea’s 2–1 loss at West Ham United on 24 October 2015.
For the majority of the 2016–17 Premier League season, Matić played as a central midfielder in a 3–4–3 formation. He scored the 4th goal in Chelsea’s 4–2 FA Cup semi-final win over Tottenham Hotspur on 22 April 2017. On 8 May 2017, he scored his first ever goal at Stamford Bridge, in a 3–0 victory over Middlesbrough.
On 30 July 2017, a photo was leaked of Matić wearing a Manchester United training kit printed with the number 31 vacated by Bastian Schweinsteiger the previous March, fuelling rumours that Matić was on the verge of a reunion with former Chelsea manager José Mourinho. Manchester United confirmed the deal the next day, with Matić signing a three-year contract with an option for an extra year.
Two days after signing, he made his first appearance in a friendly against Sampdoria, finishing in a 2–1 win over the Italian side. On 13 August 2017, Matić made his league debut in a 4–0 win over West Ham United at Old Trafford, in which he was named Man of the Match. On 5 March 2018, Matić scored his first goal for the club with a half-volley in a 3–2 comeback win over Crystal Palace after being 2–0 down.