Nemanja Matic set to leave Manchester United for Italy in January

Nemanja Matic

The Serbia international has struggled for game time at Old Trafford this season, due to a combination of injury and falling down the pecking order under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Fred and Scott McTominay are the Norwegian’s preferred central midfield options and Matic’s Manchester United departure could be confirmed as early as the mid-season window.

The Telegraph reports that the 31-year-old is ready to leave Manchester if the club show a willingness to sell him, after AC Milan and Inter Milan both expressed interest over the summer.

Matic would’ve been open to leaving at that time, but Solskjaer was hesitant to sanction a sale after Ander Herrera joined PSG and with Paul Pogba’s future up in the air.

The former Chelsea midfielder’s move could depend on the Reds’ ability to bring in a replacement, given the shortage of options in his role.

Several clubs are interested in signing Matic, but a switch to Italy appears to be the most likely outcome.

He has made just three Premier League appearances this season and has been sidelined with injury problems for the last month.

Pogba’s return to fitness at the start of December could decrease the Serbian’s chances of game time further.

Jose Mourinho signed Matic from Chelsea in the summer of 2017 for £35 million and he has made 92 appearances for the club, scoring three goals.

His contract is set to expire next summer, but United have the option to extend his deal by another year.

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Alasdair Mackenzie is a freelance journalist based in Rome, and a FourFourTwo contributor since 2015. When not pulling on the FFT shirt, he can be found at Reuters, The Times and the i. An Italophile since growing up on a diet of Football Italia on Channel 4, he now counts himself among thousands of fans sharing a passion for Ross County and Lazio.