Former Manchester United manager Ron Atkinson admits that Nemanja Matic’s passing range against West Ham on Sunday surprised him.
Despite Romelu Lukaku scoring a brace on his league debut for Manchester United in their 4-0 win over West Ham at Old Trafford, Matic was handed Man of the Match for his brilliant midfield play.
The Serbian, who joined Manchester United from Chelsea this summer, played a key role alongside Paul Pogba in the centre of the pitch and was a physical presence for Jose Mourinho’s team.
However, he was more than just a steady defensive midfielder for the Red Devils on Sunday and Atkinson admits that he didn’t think the Serbian had such skills in his locker.
The former Manchester United manager has conceded that he thought Matic was as steady defensive midfielder, but his passing range and bombing runs towards the opposition’s goal surprised him.
relatedNewsStory
Atkinson said on MUTV: “Matic, I couldn’t believe how good he was.
“I have seen him play at Chelsea – yes, steady head, wins it, gives it back, but I tell you what impressed me today was his range of passing.
“We said before the game he will playing as the holding player, but he was bombing up to the goal.
“When [Marcus] Rashford threaded the ball in for [Romelu] Lukaku, have a look at him. Having won the ball, he virtually ran the length of the field in a support position.
“He was magnificent.”
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has already indicated the selling Matic to Manchester United was not his decision.
