Nemanja Matic to leave Manchester United after 5 seasons

Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic confirmed on social media Friday that the 2021/22 campaign will be his last with the club, ending a 5-year stay at Old Trafford.

Matic was one of several high profile moves in Jose Mourinho’s spell as manager, and though he struggled to find the consistency that made him one of the best at Chelsea he certainly had his moments that showed just what the team was capable of with a true, quality defensive midfielder.

Matic arrived in the summer of 2017 along with Victor Lindelof and Romelu Lukaku, and was an immediate contributor in the 2017/18 campaign. His form began to dip late that year, as did his fitness, and he struggled to hold a meaningful role regularly in the team. He did have a brief revival in the 2019/20 season as the side went undefeated in the Premier League from February on to claw back into the top 4, but hasn’t proven very reliable since. He represented a possible solution to Manchester United’s well documented midfield struggles, a problem that persists now as he prepares to leave.

Matic unfortunately leaves United without having won a single trophy, and though his goals were few and far between his memorable strike against Crystal Palace in 2018 will forever have it’s place in the club’s library of last minute winners. So here it is, with Titanic music.

Farewell, Nemanja, and good luck.