Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur - The Emirates FA Cup Semi Final
#2 The Return of Nemanja Matic
Ad
Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur - Premier League
Nemanja Matic had a decent World Cup, but returned with an injury that has kept him out of the preseason and the two games in the new season so far. Since joining last year, Matic has become an indispensable part of the Manchester United midfield. He has more tackles, passes and touches on the ball than any other players in the United team by a fair distance. He also conceded very less fouls, because his tackle success rate is very high.
Ad
Trending
In his absence, United have gone with Andreas Pereira as the deep lying holding midfielder. While the Brazilian has been exceptional, he does not have the experience or the defensive qualities of Matic. The fact that the Serbian has resumed training and is nearing fitness is a good news for Manchester United. Once he returns, Matic will be a perfect foil for the offensive qualities of Fred and Pogba. He will also provide much needed cover and composure to the United defence that has been low of confidence so far.
Against Spurs, Nemanja Matic will be just what Manchester United require and he will be essential to unleash the full potential of Fred and Pogba in the United midfield.
×
Feedback
Why did you not like this content?
Was this article helpful?
Thank You for feedback
About the author
Deepungsu Pandit
Deepungsu is a veteran football journalist who has been covering daily transfer roundups and news for over six years at Sportskeeda. He has written close to 9000 articles for the website, and has garnered over 19.5Million reads.
Deepungsu holds a PG degree in Microbiology and an MBA degree in Total Quality Management. He has an extensive two-decade long writing experience, which includes a decade of sports blogging. His writing prowess has even led his work getting cited on the legendary Franz Beckenbauer's Wikipedia page.
Inspired by Diego Maradona, Deepungsu played as an attacking midfielder for his local club at subdivision level in his initial years and scored an important goal or two. However, his all-time favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and evidently, he feels Argentina's glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment for fulfilling his long-standing dream. He is also an ardent East Bengal fan.
Deepungsu has been a Manchester United supporter since the year 2000. Unsurprisingly, his favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson and the Scotsman helped him get through some of the toughest days of his life. Like the fiery Scot, Deepungsu also leaves no stone unturned when it comes to accuracy in articles and only relies on credible sources.
Despite believing in Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland to create an iconic rivalry, Deepungsu reckons no one can match the longevity of Messi and Ronaldo. He spends his leisure time writing about life on his blog, reading books, and playing the guitar.