Former Chelsea star Ruud Gullit has claimed that Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic would not have suited Maurizio Sarri’s style at Stamford Bridge if he had remained in west London.
Matic, who joined Manchester United last summer, is a two-time Premier League winner with Chelsea under Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte respectively.
The Serbian enjoyed a commendable start to life at Old Trafford, but it has not been smooth sailing for him since the beginning of the ongoing season.
Although Matic has struggled to replicate the kind of form that made him a household name in England, the midfielder has clocked more than 1,000 minutes of playing time for the Red Devils this season.
Gullit, who was an influential figure at Stamford Bridge during the late 1990s, went on to claim that Matic would not have suited Sarri’s style of play if he had decided to opt against leaving the club.
“Nemanja Matic needs one touch, two touch, three touch. Sometimes he loses the ball. Sometimes he is too slow”, Gullit told BBC’s Match of the Day 2 programme.
“Chelsea has also smaller players, [Eden] Hazard, Pedro, Willian, [N’Golo] Kante, who can all decide very quickly how to turn and that is the modern player nowadays.
“But in the back you still have some big players in case crosses come in because you need a good header.”
Chelsea will next face BATE Borisov in the Europa League on Thursday before they return to action in the Premier League against Everton on Sunday.
