Matic handed new deal to extend stay at Old Trafford
NEMANJA Matic is set to sign a new contract to extend his stay at United beyond the end of this season.
The Serbian has enjoyed a return to form under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer recently and he is set to be rewarded for that with a new deal, with his existing contract due to expire this summer.
The Reds can trigger an option to extend Matic’s three-year contract, signed when he moved from Chelsea in 2017, by a further season, but Solskjaer said the club had agreed fresh terms with the midfielder.
Matic’s United career looked to be drifting to an end earlier this season as he struggled for game time, but the injury to Scott McTominay on New Year’s Day opened the door and the former Chelsea midfielder has grabbed his opportunity.
Since then the 31-year-old has started 13 of United’s last 17 games, having only begun six of the first 30 games this season. He kept his place on McTominay’s Premier League return against Everton last weekend with Solskjaer opting for a midfield diamond and his importance to the side is now going to be rewarded with a new contract.
Asked about Matic’s contract situation, Solskjaer said: “We have agreed with him so he will stay, 100 per cent.”
It caps a remarkable turnaround for Matic, who revealed at the end of January that he was yet to hold discussions with the club over a new contract.
“I’ve got a contract until the end of the season. We will see. I’m at Carrington every day open to talk if they think I can help. If not, life will go on. For sure, there is always a solution,” he said at the time.