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Nemanja Matic has agreed a contract extension with Manchester United.
A few months ago the Serbian seemed certain to leave the club, as he struggled for form and fitness and was a symbol, for many United fans, of the unpopular Jose Mourinho era at Old Trafford.
However, when Scott McTominay got injured in December, Matic was brought back into the side, and his reintroduction coincided with a general upturn in results. And now, taks have been successfully concluded on a contract extension with his manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer saying “We have agreed with him so he will stay, 100 per cent”.
Matic was signed by Mourinho for £40 million from Chelsea in 2017, but was out of contract this summer, and would have been able to leave for free.
McTominay is now fit again, but Matic was preferred to him as the defensive midfield partner to Fred in Sunday’s Manchester derby win over neighbours City.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.