Rarely seen on the pitch in the season, Nemanja Matic is likely getting out of Old Trafford as early as January next year, but his exit will depend if a replacement is found soon. United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's successful search for a new striker will be the key to Matic's transfer.
The Serbian was acquired from Chelsea in 2017 and Manchester paid £35 million for the transfer to take place. However, when the English club fired Jose Mourinho December of last year, Matic gradually faded out from the picture, Metro reported.
His sporadic appearances were largely due to the new United game plan implemented by Solskjaer that focused more on younger and homegrown talents. It became evident that with Mourinho out and the Norwegian now in charge, Matic has a bleak future with the Red Devils.
Sure enough, the Serbian has fallen behind in the midfield pecking order of United as the club gave preference for Scott McTominay and Fred.
According to The Daily Telegraph, Matic is looking elsewhere to play first-team football and United is said to be willing to let him go.
However, his release will only be allowed by Solskjaer, provided United found success in the club's ongoing search for a new batch of scorers. This is in line with the manager's goal of hiring midfielders in the January and summer transfer windows in 2020.
Solskjaer has already indicated that United might be able to hire at least a new striker at the start of the year. If that happens, then the team might just give the green light for Matic to make the switch and find a new home-base.
Per the same Telegraph report, Matic's departure from the Premier League will lead him to Italy. In case of a mid-season transfer, the Serbian's destination would either be Inter Milan or A.C. Milan, the report added.
These were the same clubs that have expressed interest in the United midfield last summer, but Solskjaer supposedly vetoed the deal for fear of player shortage. It was understood too that the Norwegian wanted some veterans on the United roster while in the process of rebuilding.
Matic will see his contract with the Reds expire by the end of the season, and there are possible scenarios for his transfer to happen. One is for United to make the move happen smoothly, let him loose in January.
However, that would mean releasing the Serbian and United only getting a small amount or nothing in return.
United can also opt to give Matic an extension, then accommodate transfer talks, give him the release, and earn big in the process.
