Krishnan Sreekumar
AS Roma have concerns over a potential reunion between Jose Mourinho and Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, via Football Italia (h/t Express), AS Roma have expressed some concerns regarding a free transfer for Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic in the summer, reuniting him with Jose Mourinho.
Matic has already announced his departure from United at the end of the season when his contract expires, ending a five-year stay at Old Trafford. He was signed from Chelsea by Mourinho in 2017, who managed the Red Devils between 2016 and 2019.
Prior to that, the pair worked together at Stamford Bridge, where the Portuguese coach snapped up Matic from Benfica to reinforce his midfield. Together, the pair picked up a Premier League title in 2015 with the Blues before Mourinho was dismissed.
Now, the summer transfer window sees Mourinho keen on adding Matic to his Roma squad as the midfielder has become his ‘first-choice’ midfield target ahead of the new season. If so, this will be the third time in their careers that the pair will be working alongside each other.
Roma concerned about Matic’s fitness and salary
However, this move will face complications as the Roma hierarchy is not convinced by Matic’s fitness levels and his age to make him a transfer target. The Serbian is now 33 years old, and his age seems to have caught up with his legs as Matic has only started half the games during his 32 appearances this term for United.
The Premier League veteran is also demanding a €5m salary, which may be too high for Roma to afford. These concerns over Matic could very well see the Serie A side lose out on the player, with Juventus also interested in the star.
Matic is clearly a player that Mourinho trusts a lot, bringing him from Chelsea to United and now potentially to Roma to boost his squad. The defensive midfielder may not be getting any younger, but he could certainly put in a decent effort to fulfil his duties on the pitch.
After guiding the Italian side to a UEFA Europa Conference League final this season, the Portuguese coach is looking to build on this progress and add reinforcements to his squad in the summer. He will be aiming to break into the top four of the Serie A table in the next campaign, having missed out this term.
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Meanwhile, United will suffer without Matic’s presence in the squad as he was the only natural defensive midfielder in the team. Fred and Scott McTominay have played in a double pivot under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Rangnick, but the duo hasn’t really convinced that they are world-class midfielders.
His departure could propel new manager Erik ten Hag to scour the transfer market in the summer to find an able replacement- unless, of course, he finds a solution within his team players such as Donny van de Beek. Meanwhile, only time will tell if Mourinho gets his wish of joining forces with Matic once again in Rome next season.
