Nemanja Matic is the perfect player for Chelsea, says Michael Ballack

Nemanja Matic

Former Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack has hailed the influence Nemanja Matic has had on the Blues midfield since his arrival in January.

The Serbian completed a £21 million move from Portuguese outfit Benfica earlier in the season and has gone on to become a permanent fixture fixture in Jose Mourinho’s side.

Matic produced another commanding display during the 3-0 victory against Stoke City at the weekend and Ballack believes the 25-year-old has improved dramatically since his first spell with the west Londoners.

“I like to see him play in that position [central midfield], he’s like a playmaker, he’s different to David Luiz or other [Chelsea midfield] players. You see the players next to him [Matic], they trust him with the ball, especially in the second half he has much more touches.

“I think that was a smart signing, he played a few years ago for Chelsea, with me as well, but he was just a kid at this time. Now when I see him play, he’s grown and became an adult,” he told Sky Sports.

Eyebrows were raised when Chelsea opted to re-sign a player that they let go for as little as £5 million three years ago as part of the make weight in David Luiz’s transfer and Ballack was surprised by his former club’s stance on the matter.

“Never, never. It may sound strange, some players develop differently, each player develops differently.

“So they [Chelsea] thought maybe at this time he was not ready for Chelsea, he wasn’t, but now it seems he’s the perfect player for them, in that position. That’s why they spend so much money [on him],” he insisted.

However, mistakes are made in the modern game and while he was marginalised during his initial years at the Blues, he represents the best piece of business the Portuguese manager has done since he took the reins at Stamford Bridge for a second time.