What's the news?
According to the ESPN, Manchester United midfielder, Nemanja Matic is expected to be out for a month due to a muscle injury which saw him miss the Liverpool game this weekend.
In case you didn't know
Matic signed for Machester United under Jose Mourinho in the Portuguese's second season in charge at Old Trafford. After an impressive few campaigns at Chelsea, where he won a couple of Premier League titles with the Blues, the Serbian reunited with Jose at the Theatre of Dreams.
Nemanja had a decent debut campaign for the Red Devils helping the club finish second in the league behind Manchester City. He made the defensive midfield position his own at United after Carrick hanged up the boots at the end of the last season.
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The heart of the matter
Despite struggling for form at the start of the season, Matic regained his place in the side, and since September he has played continuously for United. When Solskajer took over, Matic's performances improved, and he formed a stellar midfield partnership with Paul Pogba and Ander Herrera.
The amount of work rate he put in the last few games has caught up with the 30-year-old who pulled up in training before the Liverpool game. Earlier the manager confirmed that Nemanja would be out for a couple of weeks. Solskajer said -
It's a big blow, he's had a muscle injury so will be out for a few weeks
(It's) one of those things so we will just have to manage without (him)
However, the condition now seems to be worse than expected, and the Serbian could be sidelined for a month.
Rumor Rating - 7/10
ESPN is a reliable source and considering the number of games Matic has played this season, it looks like an accumulation of fatigue over time.
What's next
United already had few players out before the match against Liverpool and with Herrera, Lingad, and Mata getting injured in the game, things just got difficult for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at a time when the margins are so close, and the battle for the fourth place is so tight. The Red Devils would face Crystal Palace in midweek with a somewhat depleted side.
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