The disrespect of Nemanja Matic

always_hoping

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I thought he was finished at this level however he's been a player re-born since Bruno arrived. Not sure about giving him a 3 year contract though? He's 32 in a few weeks but he's not a player that relies on pace and he won't be expected to play every game.
 

devilish

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Oh behave.
He's got more defensive responsibilities here than at Chelsea but he does everything Carrick did only at a higher tempo and without being the focal point of the midfield.
When did Carrick ever do this on the regular each season:

He got one or more of those per season. He was in the penultimate year of his contract IIRC and starting with Kante, they lessened his game time when it was clear he wasn't going to sign a new contract.
So according to you Matic is better then Carrick? Oh give me a break. Carrick would have walked in both our midfield and Chelsea's
 

Rafaeldagold

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Deserved new contract. If he manages to win a couple more trophies with us, & gets a long Champions League run I wonder if he’ll be more known for his Chelsea days or ours
 

Stacks

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• First year he was generally very good.
• Second year with Maureen he started off utterly shite, as did pretty much our entire squad.
• Was superb and pretty much ever-present in the run that got Ole the job, then got injured.
• Started this season injured and then on the bench, since he came back in late December he's been superb.

This kind of "sticking to your guns argument" would be like me claiming Ole is still a bit crap because we're only 5th in the league despite the growing evidence to the contrary. Why is it so hard for some posters to just hold their hands up and say "yup, seems to be proving me wrong here".?
In the time he has been here I can never say "he has had a good season". He was one of the ones who was good for a run of games during the run that got Ole the job but how many games is that? Then he was piss poor from Match. So how many games each season does Matic peform? Has a had a good season at us yet? With Ole I can see improvement as we can buy better players where as Matic is only getting older and will have higher pressure next year and probably have to play more games. He seems to perform in little spurts every season but I rarely come away saying "Matic had a good season, next year should be good"
 

Prodigal7

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So according to you Matic is better then Carrick? Oh give me a break. Carrick would have walked in both our midfield and Chelsea's
Yep, a lot of blinkered views when it comes to Carrick. Very good positioning and passing through the lines but a very limited midfielder. He meant we could only play on the counter attack as he couldn't move the ball quick enough and wasn't mobile enough for us to play any other way.
 

Luke1995

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Brand new contract. Fantastic news! On form, he can be a starter and will be a good squad option to have anyway. IMO he has more of a long term future here than say, Mata, for example.
 

el3mel

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If true, it's great news. Doesn't stop us from getting a top DM to take over and let Matic come in, that is quality sqaud depth.
Amazing news. Hopefully will be part of a title challenging team here and I will hope to see him retiring in our shirt. Really like him. Great character, personality and player.
 

Andersons Dietician

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This does seem a bit weird. Yeah give him a year extra with another activation clause. Think he’d be a great option in the squad. However I just don’t think he has it in him to do it over a full season. Neither Fred or McT can really do what he does. Fred maybe in games where we control all the possesion but I can’t see that working well against the likes of a City if we play Pogba and Bruno with him.
Just feel like we need someone else to come in and take his role that can do a season without huge dips in form for months on end Playing 2/3 games a week.

This and the length of time makes me think that won’t be happening this window then.
 

Carl

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Weird deal. Think he deserves an extension but he's 32 next month. 3yr deal seems over the top, especially when we've seen huge dips on form from him in the not too distant past.
 

VP89

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Weird deal. Think he deserves an extension but he's 32 next month. 3yr deal seems over the top, especially when we've seen huge dips on form from him in the not too distant past.
Said this before - I could be wrong, but it may be the financial commitments for a 2 year deal was not materially different to a 3 year deal, in which case we'd have favored the latter. Lets not forget Serie A is always there to buy PL players past their peak.
 

DSG

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In the time he has been here I can never say "he has had a good season". He was one of the ones who was good for a run of games during the run that got Ole the job but how many games is that? Then he was piss poor from Match. So how many games each season does Matic peform? Has a had a good season at us yet? With Ole I can see improvement as we can buy better players where as Matic is only getting older and will have higher pressure next year and probably have to play more games. He seems to perform in little spurts every season but I rarely come away saying "Matic had a good season, next year should be good"
I think that most on the Caf are looking at this move in isolation, as in, “Is Matic good or not”. We have to look at this in terms of strategic squad building. It’s clear that the club would rather go all in on Sancho rather than break up the budget on a few smaller targets, like a new CDM and or CB.

If Pogba stays, it gives us 4 options in the double pivot. I see this as a less expensive hedge against the development of McTominay and Fred, as well as an experienced bridge option to a younger player we will buy in 2021 or 2022.

It takes him to 35 here, or almost 35. He’ll effectively finish his career here.

The Mata move was the same, a hedge until James and Greenwood were ready.
 

amolbhatia50k

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Three years does seem like a lot given he looked spent sometime back. But he's been brilliant over the last 10-12 games. Hopefully he gives us at least 2 years of this sort of level.
 

Chesterlestreet

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Disrespect for. Or towards, perhaps. Not of, though. Sounds like Matic has been disrespecting someone or something.

Anyway, I for one was wrong about Matic. I thought he was done, well and truly. And I was well and truly wrong - I'm very glad to say.
 

SadlerMUFC

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I'm glad he signed a new contract but I have to question the length. A 3 year contract for a 31 year old seems a little long to me. THe only thing I can see that works in his favour for this is that he has never been a player who depended on speed. As for the player himself, I think that Matic is the type who is only as good as his team. So if he's on a crap team with Lingard and Periera in midfield, he isn't going to make them any better. But put him on a team with Bruno and Pogba in the midfield and all of a sudden he is fantastic.
 

Sylar

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This does seem a bit weird. Yeah give him a year extra with another activation clause. Think he’d be a great option in the squad. However I just don’t think he has it in him to do it over a full season. Neither Fred or McT can really do what he does. Fred maybe in games where we control all the possesion but I can’t see that working well against the likes of a City if we play Pogba and Bruno with him.
Just feel like we need someone else to come in and take his role that can do a season without huge dips in form for months on end Playing 2/3 games a week.

This and the length of time makes me think that won’t be happening this window then.
Hopefully he doesnt have to. I guess key will be the wages hes on. If its in a low bracket, then it gives us time to nurture others / bring in somebody else whilst keeping him here to keep things ticking. That and as long as we arent playing 2 in midfield, it should be fine.

I thought he was one and done for us. A nice boost when he joined then he would get worse and worse (and it seemed that way). I guess trying to park the bus to hit on counter wasnt working. I can see us going Matic for the big games, and the other 2 (fred/mct) for lesser games to rotate. It can / will work.
 

georgipep

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I'm glad he signed a new contract but I have to question the length. A 3 year contract for a 31 year old seems a little long to me. THe only thing I can see that works in his favour for this is that he has never been a player who depended on speed. As for the player himself, I think that Matic is the type who is only as good as his team. So if he's on a crap team with Lingard and Periera in midfield, he isn't going to make them any better. But put him on a team with Bruno and Pogba in the midfield and all of a sudden he is fantastic.
I think the length is a reflection of Ole's succession plans for Matić's position. Whoever we end up buying or promoting from the academy, Matić will be around to "show them the ropes".

He is also considered a very positive influence in the dressing room, a model professional and has proven to be a player who puts the team needs before his own desires. Similarly to us keeping Mata past his peak time, we will probably allow Matić to choose when and how he leaves.
 

SadlerMUFC

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I think the length is a reflection of Ole's succession plans for Matić's position. Whoever we end up buying or promoting from the academy, Matić will be around to "show them the ropes".

He is also considered a very positive influence in the dressing room, a model professional and has proven to be a player who puts the team needs before his own desires. Similarly to us keeping Mata past his peak time, we will probably allow Matić to choose when and how he leaves.
I completely agree with everything you've said. It's just that a player that age should be given one year contract extensions at a time. He could very well be here for another 3 years but we wouldn't be "stuck" with him like we are with Mata...
 

tomaldinho1

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Why are people talking about the contract length as if they've got some excel sheet modeling out United's finances? He's been great for us recently and a three year deal isn't exactly going to cripple us, he's hardly going to be on Sanchez wages. It's also worth noting he's the only specialist DM we actually have in the whole squad (honorable mention to Garner who we'll hopefully see more of) and so his experience is pretty invaluable when it comes to mentoring.
 

georgipep

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I completely agree with everything you've said. It's just that a player that age should be given one year contract extensions at a time. He could very well be here for another 3 years but we wouldn't be "stuck" with him like we are with Mata...
Players do not want one year contracts with extension options because they leave all power in the hands of the club. Matić probably has options available to him, surely he can find a team to pay him decent wages while offering him a longer term of the deal. Same with Mata.

It's always a compromise from both sides that is agreed in the end. I imagine he started the negotiations with a higher salary in mind and had to come down to a level where the overall contract value fits within our expectations.
 

edcunited1878

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When we swooped in, Matic was a surplus at Chelsea. If he was a clear first teamer then he wouldn't have considered joining us and Chelsea wouldn't have sold him to us either. I admit that he did very well during his first season and this season after a dip in form he recovered nicely earning his first team place back. Having said that he's now 31, he did nothing spectacular to be considered as a legend with us and tbh he is nowhere near to Carrick's talent let alone Keane's or Robson's. I can't see him ever be WC for us let alone becoming a legend/icon. The sentimentalism surrounding this club is killing it
Chelsea thought Bakayoko was his replacement as they bought him from Monaco...that was a peach of a transfer, for Monaco who currently has Bakayoko on loan from Chelsea. They were in the wrong. Just like your comments on Matic getting criticized about his poor form or praised for his good form, some of your recent comments about Matic re: surplus to requirements when his replacement at Chelsea is a complete and abject failure or his time spend at Chelsea is wrong due to his loan spell to Benfica, etc.

Matic isn't a club legend or hero, I don't understand that. Maybe if United win the league or CL while he is here and plays some parts in them, then he could be considered a hero but not a legend.
 

Tom Van Persie

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Matic has been impressive lately and an extension until 2023 is fair in my opinion but I still expect Ole to buy another central midfielder either this summer or next.
 

SadlerMUFC

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Players do not want one year contracts with extension options because they leave all power in the hands of the club. Matić probably has options available to him, surely he can find a team to pay him decent wages while offering him a longer term of the deal. Same with Mata.

It's always a compromise from both sides that is agreed in the end. I imagine he started the negotiations with a higher salary in mind and had to come down to a level where the overall contract value fits within our expectations.
Of course nobody wants a one year contract. But that's the reality for an older footballer. It all comes down to whether or not the player wants to be a part of the club. There maybe offers elsewhere, but are any of them as good or exciting as we are right now? I doubt it. Either way, if we were to come to a compromise, I would think that would be 2 years, not 3...
 

Green_Red

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If true, it's great news. Doesn't stop us from getting a top DM to take over and let Matic come in, that is quality sqaud depth.
2023 for a player of his age is a pisstake. I think that says more about Woodward than it does about Matic. It looks like Woodward may be digging his heals in and may not think we need a new midfielder. I fecking hope thats not true because if it is then Woodward out needs to gather some pace again.
 

jeff_goldblum

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Yep, a lot of blinkered views when it comes to Carrick. Very good positioning and passing through the lines but a very limited midfielder. He meant we could only play on the counter attack as he couldn't move the ball quick enough and wasn't mobile enough for us to play any other way.
You're swinging too far the other way here. Carrick was good for most of his time here and exceptional for a couple of years. His reputation during the first 5 years of his career here was overshadowed by comparison to unquestionably superior players, he was initially maligned for not being as good as Keane, then for not being as good as Busquets or Xavi (not helped by poor performances in our games against Barca). Whilst by no means top-tier, he was clearly a very good player, and one who did his job, in a system where most of the creative onus was on other players, very well during one of the most successful periods in the club's history.

Towards the end of Fergie's time he became the main-man in midfield, adapted his game, took on more creative responsibility and was, by any metric, one of the best midfielders in the league for a couple of years. Whilst it wouldn't be accurate to retroactively attribute that level of performance to his whole career here, he's one of the last players who deserves criticism for limiting United's success or tactical options. Quite the opposite, Carrick's quality allowed Fergie to do loads of things we wouldn't have been able to do otherwise, like playing 39-year old Giggs or out-of-retirement Scholes in two-man midfields (I'd argue the Scholes-Carrick partnership with which we ended the 2011-12 season was comfortably the best in the league at the time and should have been England's go-to combination at the Euros). Some of your criticism frankly sounds like you're talking about a different guy, 'not moving the ball quickly enough' is an odd critique of a player whose trademark in his late career was first-time forward passing.
 

devilish

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Chelsea thought Bakayoko was his replacement as they bought him from Monaco...that was a peach of a transfer, for Monaco who currently has Bakayoko on loan from Chelsea. They were in the wrong. Just like your comments on Matic getting criticized about his poor form or praised for his good form, some of your recent comments about Matic re: surplus to requirements when his replacement at Chelsea is a complete and abject failure or his time spend at Chelsea is wrong due to his loan spell to Benfica, etc.

Matic isn't a club legend or hero, I don't understand that. Maybe if United win the league or CL while he is here and plays some parts in them, then he could be considered a hero but not a legend.
I don't mind that United bought Matic. He's a good player who deserves a first team place here. But I find certain comments in here a bit OTT. FFS someone even stated that he is better then Carrick was with us. Anyway I find that the title of icon/legend is used to loosely these days especially surrounding this club.
 

mu4c_20le

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Whenever i see posts suggesting Carrick was overrated, I swear I thought I stepped into the twilight zone.
 

izec

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Matic has been impressive lately and an extension until 2023 is fair in my opinion but I still expect Ole to buy another central midfielder either this summer or next.
I don't see it this summer personally. We are also not getting rid of anyone in central midfield. I would love Rice though. I changed my mind on him the last few weeks/months. If he plays like this next season as well, i would go out in full force for him.
 

Andersons Dietician

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Hopefully he doesnt have to. I guess key will be the wages hes on. If its in a low bracket, then it gives us time to nurture others / bring in somebody else whilst keeping him here to keep things ticking. That and as long as we arent playing 2 in midfield, it should be fine.

I thought he was one and done for us. A nice boost when he joined then he would get worse and worse (and it seemed that way). I guess trying to park the bus to hit on counter wasnt working. I can see us going Matic for the big games, and the other 2 (fred/mct) for lesser games to rotate. It can / will work.
I’m not that concerned about the wages as such and I think he has shown recently he still has it even if there were issues in the last game for him but he can’t sustain this level I don’t think and I really don’t think the options of McT and Fred are the right ones to cover him.

Matic is going to need to be rotated heavily and rested to keep him playing at a high level when he’s called upon but I really don’t think we have the personal to do that without dropping one of Pogba or Bruno to play the tandem of Fred and McT.

Maybe Fred can muddle his way through as I think out of he and McT he is the one that is just better positionally and more disciplined in a role but neither really want to be doing that. I think both work well in tandem becuase they are so energetic and hardworking that this covers for any slight lapses in concentration or positioning where I feel like if it’s Bruno and Pogba in tandem with either they are going to be left a bit exposed and we’ll maybe see more of the failings in playing that role.

We can all say what we want about Matic but he reads the game well and knows where he needs to be and when he needs to do stuff Like just sit and hold or go and make a challenge. Just think the other two are make a challenge or nothing. Run forward and try stuff. (which is awesome, but not always the best thing for the team.)

Maybe Shaw tucks in to midfield like he did with Fred in the last game and that is the way forward but I’ll be interested to see what is going to happen there.
 

Sylar

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I’m not that concerned about the wages as such and I think he has shown recently he still has it even if there were issues in the last game for him but he can’t sustain this level I don’t think and I really don’t think the options of McT and Fred are the right ones to cover him.

Matic is going to need to be rotated heavily and rested to keep him playing at a high level when he’s called upon but I really don’t think we have the personal to do that without dropping one of Pogba or Bruno to play the tandem of Fred and McT.

Maybe Fred can muddle his way through as I think out of he and McT he is the one that is just better positionally and more disciplined in a role but neither really want to be doing that. I think both work well in tandem becuase they are so energetic and hardworking that this covers for any slight lapses in concentration or positioning where I feel like if it’s Bruno and Pogba in tandem with either they are going to be left a bit exposed and we’ll maybe see more of the failings in playing that role.

We can all say what we want about Matic but he reads the game well and knows where he needs to be and when he needs to do stuff Like just sit and hold or go and make a challenge. Just think the other two are make a challenge or nothing. Run forward and try stuff. (which is awesome, but not always the best thing for the team.)

Maybe Shaw tucks in to midfield like he did with Fred in the last game and that is the way forward but I’ll be interested to see what is going to happen there.
Taking the City game at OT (as an example) we played with Bruno/Matic/Fred with Bruno coming off for McT. It can easily work and is easily doable. I think a lot of the 'smaller' teams can be dispatched without the need to play Bruno/Pogba/Matic every game. I think one of McTs best attributes is to get the ball and pass it on (which can work against smaller teams). I agree with you that i think Matic reads the game better but given the number of games, and the fitness of players nowadays, its easy to rotate and stay fresh without ruining the flow of the team.
 

baskinginthesun

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Good contract extension. I wonder if this is one of those fancy American contracts where all the wages are made in the first 12-18 months and then tapered off towards the end of it as age goes up and game time goes down. Either way, he's been great recently and can buy time for us as we find a replacement or use what have to be molded into a replacement for him.
 

clarkydaz

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Seems par for the course with our negotiating team. Offer a new contract where half the term will be useless to us and cant get rid, but pay them like a king anyway
 

RU Devil

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It’s a great deal, the 3 years gives us time to phase matic out I would imagine. Good management yet again from ole!
Yeah, figure a front-line DM is a no-go for this window due to budget constraints (& the Sancho pursuit), so might as well solidify Matic's 'motivation' for the next 2 years. Still possible to bring on a youngster like Garner to blood or hope that Bellingham opts for us (& probably loaned out), but figure the premium DM's bantered about are currently not in our plans.

Appreciate Matic's recent uptick in performance and figure the Bruno/Pogba threat actually makes his job a bit easier as he doesn't have to create as much as when he only had one of them to work with. Combined with the emergence of MMM, Bruno & Pogba can dictate the game a bit further forward and Matic doesn't have to move so far forward & expose his lack of mobility.
 

fergieisold

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Yeah, figure a front-line DM is a no-go for this window due to budget constraints (& the Sancho pursuit), so might as well solidify Matic's 'motivation' for the next 2 years. Still possible to bring on a youngster like Garner to blood or hope that Bellingham opts for us (& probably loaned out), but figure the premium DM's bantered about are currently not in our plans.

Appreciate Matic's recent uptick in performance and figure the Bruno/Pogba threat actually makes his job a bit easier as he doesn't have to create as much as when he only had one of them to work with. Combined with the emergence of MMM, Bruno & Pogba can dictate the game a bit further forward and Matic doesn't have to move so far forward & expose his lack of mobility.
Haven’t heard much about Garner recently but I know he’s very highly regarded. Maybe that’s the plan as Matic ages...

the position and type of player matic is he can easily do another 3 years aslong as he is managed well.
 

rollingstoned1

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Yep, a lot of blinkered views when it comes to Carrick. Very good positioning and passing through the lines but a very limited midfielder. He meant we could only play on the counter attack as he couldn't move the ball quick enough and wasn't mobile enough for us to play any other way.
gotta completely disagree with you while stopping just short of saying you're talking out of your ass. you seemed to say matic was better than carrick on the basis of 1 video of him scoring a screamer.:lol: the difference between carrick and matic isn't as much as what it is between say carrick and the likes of Pirlo and Scholes but it's quite a bit. Your second sentence seems to belie your ignorance on this issue quite perfectly.
 

Prodigal7

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gotta completely disagree with you while stopping just short of saying you're talking out of your ass. you seemed to say matic was better than carrick on the basis of 1 video of him scoring a screamer.:lol: the difference between carrick and matic isn't as much as what it is between say carrick and the likes of Pirlo and Scholes but it's quite a bit. Your second sentence seems to belie your ignorance on this issue quite perfectly.
If you read my post you'll see that he did this each season. It's another facet to his game that separates him from Carrick.
 

Web of Bissaka

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1 year with an option to extend by 1 year makes the most sense and I don't know why this wasn't the deal
To differentiate it with Mata's who only got 2 (+1) contract despite not really performing "deservedly" the season before, should've just 1(+1).

Matic does "deserve" extension with his performance. He won a good contract (unfortunately it's over = too much for me, 3 years is too much, but I'm not surprise.. we gave Jones freaking huge long heaven contract deal anyway).
 
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