Roma midfielder Nemanja Matic explains why he left Manchester United to reunite with Jose Mourinho, stands up for Harry Maguire and hits out at Roy Keane. ‘He needs to understand football has changed.’
The 34-year-old Serbia international asked to be released from his contract a year early, able to therefore join the Giallorossi as a free agent this summer.
“To be honest, I needed a new challenge because I never started playing football for money, it was because I enjoyed being on the pitch,” Matic told The Times.
“I wanted to play more, so once I had the call from Jose, I was quite sure I made the right decision.”
Much has been said about the lower tempo of Serie A compared to the Premier League, but he confesses that hasn’t quite been the case.
“I expected an easier job but I still have to run a lot,” he laughs.
“I’m playing almost every game here and I feel strong, I feel confident. It’s a beautiful city, I’m happy in the club, the kids have settled. I have to be honest, it’s perfect.”
He already worked with Mourinho at Chelsea and then followed him to Manchester United before this latest reunion at Roma.
“Everyone is agreed that he is one of the best managers in the history of football. My personal relationship with him is great but, if you ask me why, I don’t know. I never ask for anything special from him and he can be a very hard guy to work with if you don’t have good results because he always wants to win.
“He puts a lot of pressure on himself, the players and the staff. If you don’t win, you’re in big trouble.”
Matic still keeps an eye on his former teammates at Old Trafford and stands up for England international defender Maguire, who has been dropped in recent club games.
“What people are doing to him, it is a disaster. Everything has to have limits and some of these people writing on social media, they don’t have their own lives so they just have to write bad things about someone else.”
There are also those who are paid to speak ill of others as pundits and Matic is not going to take certain criticism from Roy Keane, who complained that it was not possible to say both Chelsea and Manchester United will have a place in his heart.
“I have respect for what he has done but he needs to understand that football has changed. If I played for Chelsea, I cannot say I hate them. I cannot be angry when I’m talking to the press after the game.
“The way he behaved on pitch, 70 per cent of it is a red card today. You cannot throw a punch when all the cameras in the world are there.
“The real hero is when you go out on the street and say something, but he was always very nice with me, so what he says in public, to be honest, I don’t really care. I know what I’ve done in my career and I’m very happy.”
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