Antonio Conte has put his money where his mouth is this week.
The sale of Nemanja Matic to a Premier League rival – in Manchester United – has certainly raised eyebrows. In Tiemoue Bakayoko moving to the Blues for the same price too, comparisons will inevitably be drawn over the straight-swap.
Meanwhile, Jose Mourinho is bagging himself a solid defensive midfielder with Premier League experience and history with the Special One. In many ways, his capture was something of a no-brainer.
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And given the current transfer climate, £40 million is something of a steal.
The Serbian won’t have long to adapt to his new side, though, with the UEFA Super Cup clash with Real Madrid less than a week away. It will be something of a baptism of fire for the 29-year-old.
Nevertheless, Matic has arrived in time for United’s final pre-season friendly against Sampdoria in Dublin.
Defeat to Barcelona aside, the Red Devils have enjoyed the perfect build-up to the new campaign and Matic has slotted into the starting XI for the final fixture.
Mourinho isn’t keen on ending his purple patch either with United entering the break with the lead. Henrikh Mkhitaryan played a one-two with Matteo Darmian to head home the opener at the Aviva Stadium.
On Matic watch, though, he has had an equally eventful evening. Bizarrely, the Serbian has already had to apologise to a female fan after his interception deprived her of her glasses.
He has also displayed his trademark no-nonsense playing style and boy do the Sampdoria players know about it. Take a look below:
Well that’s one way to announce yourself as a Manchester United player. Although the player in question was able to play on, Matic’s tackle floored him for almost a minute.
If Mourinho splashed the cash for tough tackling stalwater in the midfield, then he’s pulled it off big time, clearly.
Do you think Chelsea were right to sell Nemanja Matic? Let us know by leaving a comment below.