All of this is why I say if he is to stay, we should look to convert him into a CB, his ability to read the game and control will be useful.
I would like us to get a proper 6 to rotate with Matic and McT. Part of that rotation is having Matic play FALC, Early Rd FA and bottom 5 clubs.
Matic is fine to keep around as an old head. I think for the next 18 months he's fine starting one game a week, maybe 30 starts per season against any opposition really. But we should be looking to reduce his impact and how many games he plays with each passing 1/2 season. I think it would be a mistake to attempt to prolong his career by moving him to CB. Just play him irregularly. We don't need another slow CB.
https://breakingthelines.com/player-analysis/finding-a-nemanja-matic-replacement/ Interesting read on Matic's role in the team and what needs to be done in terms of replacing him. The shortlist submitted is awfully short and could/should easily include other potentially available names. Partey is well known of course and pretty much the ideal candidate. The other one in Brozovic is not one that has not been often mentioned but I do like quite a bit. If Inter are really ready to move him on, he wouldn't be a bad option to pursue, provided that the price is reasonable. He's 27, like Partey, meaning he could give the club a few good years and the perfect amount of time until the likes of Garner or Levitt could become fully ready to contribute to the first team. Mentioned it before but since the restart it applies more than ever: going into what will be a very demanding season in terms of the schedule with Matic as our main DCM and with McTominay and possibly Fred as his only deputies, is a gamble that could seriously backfire on Ole. Matic should only play one game per week at this point and there are still more than reasonable question marks when it comes to McTominay or Fred's ability to consistently play at the 6 spot. Partey is still very much in play for 50mil and can't imagine that Brozovic would be super expensive either. The restart to me has shown that getting a DCM this summer is pretty much just as important as getting a RW/RWF or a CB.
Nemanja Matić has decided to end his international career. He is not satisfied by how some things are resolved in the Serbian FA, and there were many other things that bothered him. Director Matijašević tried to convince him to change his mind but failed #mulive [infromer]— utdreport (@utdreport) August 27, 2020 A plus for United as he definitely does not need the extra load at this stage of his career.
Nemanja Matic: Manchester United midfielder says next few weeks decisive in Premier League title race | Football News | Sky Sports Nice sentiment from Matic but barring a miracle (ie a major downturn in form from City), the title is all but lost now. And more than our poor start of the season, our recent league form (starting with the loss to Sheffield) is where we can really point to the team losing any real hope for the title. Shame though: even if City have looked inevitable of late, it would have been nice to keep it closer, even for a just a bit longer. Still have to be ready to take advantage of any possible misstep above us, but the focus has to be on consolidating our place in the top 4 now and try to win at least one of the 2 trophies we're currently in the running for. Will take some doing but those are perfectly reasonable and attainable goals and will be proof of continued progress made under Ole...
As poor as United have been, it's almost absurd how close they've been to the top this season. A disconnect somewhere in my mind between what we've seen and where they are in the table.