Nemanja Matic extends contract through 2023

Nemanja Matic has signed a contract extension with Manchester United, keeping him at the club at least through til summer 2023. This contract comes after an impressive run of form from the Serbian defensive midfielder, and solidifies United’s midfield depth for the next couple years.

Matic, 31, was in worrying form in the 2018/19 campaign, and was struggling to provide an effective defensive screen in midfield for United. Many thought that he was past it, but under Solskjaer he has once again found good form, particularly in the run of games since the beginning of January. Injuries to Paul Pogba and Scott McTominay force Matic back into the fold after being the odd man out for the first half of the season, and he took full advantage of the opportunity to prove his worth.

While Matic is currently still in favor, this move is good for the club by keeping their options open for defensive midfield screen. With healthy creative midfield players there is only one spot left on the pitch for defensive screen, and there are now 3 effective options for filling that role. Solskjaer will likely keep an open mind with rotating that spot, as he did when initially exploring his options, and now doesn’t have to keep contract motivations in the back of his mind for the immediate future.