Nemanja Matic tells Sky Sports how he changed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's mind and how he's helping Bruno Fernandes. Watch Manchester United vs West Ham live on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event from 5pm on Wednesday; kick-off 6pm
Wednesday 22 July 2020 18:59, UK
Bruno Fernandes has been the Premier League's star performer since his arrival at Manchester United from Sporting Lisbon in January. But every good playmaker needs someone to read the danger behind them, someone to provide a platform upon which they can flourish.
For Fernandes, that someone is Nemanja Matic.
The Serb, like the rest of the side, had a rare off day in Sunday's FA Cup semi-final loss to Chelsea. But he has been quietly excellent since winning back his place in the side at the turn of the year. And while it's Fernandes who has been Manchester United's game-changer in the second half of the season, it's partly thanks to Matic that his impact has been so significant.
There has been recognition from the club in the form of a new contract, the three-year deal, at 31, a reflection of just how highly he is now valued by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his staff. But the wider plaudits have been directed elsewhere, so it's a good thing that Matic, as calm and unfussy off the pitch as he is on it, is happy to operate in the shadows.
"It was the same when I started out at Chelsea," Matic tells Sky Sports with a chuckle. "I saw great players like Michael Ballack and Michael Essien playing in my position, but the man of the match would always go to Frank Lampard because he was the one scoring the goals.
"That's just the job, though, and I'm not afraid to do that job. When we win games, I'm happy that Bruno, Mason (Greenwood), Anthony (Martial) or Marcus (Rashford) get the praise. The most important thing is that we win.
"The only problem is that when we don't win, everyone attacks the players at the back. We are seen as the one who concede the goals, but the truth is we all concede together. In the same way, it's the whole team's fault when we don't score."
It is with that spirit of togetherness that United are now rallying around David de Gea, whose errors proved costly at Wembley, and preparing themselves for Wednesday's Premier League meeting with West Ham.
The FA Cup is gone but a Champions League finish is still in their hands.
"We all know that we didn't have our best game on Sunday," says Matic. "That hurts a lot, especially when you play in semi-finals and finals, but we have to remember that we had 19 games unbeaten behind us. We are a young team, yes, but even the more experienced teams lose games.
"Of course, we have already spoken about the Chelsea game and we will analyse it, but now is not the right moment to think that much about it. We have to forget it quickly because now we are playing what I think, for me, is our most important game of the season against West Ham.
"I saw the guys after the Chelsea game. They were sad and angry because we lost, but I expect the team to respond and we will see if we are ready for that. I'm sure the guys will give everything for the three points."
For Matic, the outlook is already far brighter than it was in the first half of the season, when he started just two Premier League games in four months, his absence from Solskjaer's side raising questions of his future at the club.
It was an unfamiliar situation for Matic, a regular starter throughout his senior career. Instead of agitating for a move, however, he channelled his frustration into changing the manager's mind.
"During my career, I played with some big players and sometimes, when I played, they had to sit on the bench," says Matic.
I knew that if I worked hard and I believed in my quality, my time would come again. The most important thing is to never give up
"I saw that some of them behaved in what I think is the correct way. They did their best in training and waited for their chance. So, when I came to that situation myself, I just remembered what those players did.
"I tried to be professional and always gave my best. In football, I know that everything can change in one week. I have seen so many things like that in my life and my career. In the beginning of the season I didn't play many games, but I knew that if I worked hard and I believed in my quality, my time would come again. The most important thing is to never give up."
It is not the first time Matic has proved his doubters wrong. He did it in Serbia, where he was rejected by both Red Star and Partizan Belgrade as a youngster. And he did it twice more at Chelsea, first convincing them to buy him back from Benfica, then recovering from a difficult period under Jose Mourinho to win a second Premier League title under Antonio Conte.
It is something which has driven him all his life.
"It's always in my head," he says. "I didn't have a very easy childhood. I had… I cannot say 'problems', but it was not easy, especially being a kid, when I started to play football. At that age, you don't accept things in the same way as when you are experienced."
Matic has learned the value of patience and perseverance since then. He has also learned to shut out the noise and focus his attention on the opinions of the people who matter most.
"The people you work with, they are the only ones who can judge you about your work," he says. "If they recognise that I am professional and I have the quality for this club, then that means a lot for me.
"The newspapers, the television pundits, they can speak about you in a positive or negative way, but the people who work with you every day are the only ones who can really judge you.
"If they respect my work and my quality, that tells me enough.
"I just have to continue to work in the same way."
Solskjaer will certainly hope to see more of the same from Matic in the remaining weeks of the season, and so too will Fernandes.
As well as providing invaluable defensive cover behind the Portuguese, Matic has acted as his supply line, funnelling the ball into his feet more times than any other Manchester United player since his arrival in January.
"He's a great player," says Matic. "I think we all appreciate that he is with us. He has a lot of quality in his legs and he brings something extra to our team. He's going to be a very important player in the future of Manchester United.
"We try to have a good connection on the pitch, especially because when the team recovers the ball, we have to find the players in front of us as soon as possible. We need to always find that connection and at the moment it's working really well. Of course, we know it didn't go so well in the Chelsea game, but we have to accept that and respond against West Ham."
Fernandes is not the only player Matic is responsible for helping. At 31, and turning 32 next month, he is one of the oldest players in a squad with an average age of under 26. Part of his remit is to provide guidance to the likes of Mason Greenwood, who he sits next to in the Manchester United dressing room, and Scott McTominay.
"I'm old!" he says, chuckling again. "I have to accept that I am one of the most experienced guys now. I don't feel old, but I'm one of only a few players in the squad to have won the Premier League and other trophies, and I have to try to help the young players develop.
"The most important thing is that I'm playing well and training well, but if I can give some advice to the young players, I will always do that and I think they respect that about me."
The hope for United now is that their blend of youth and experience will help them compete for the big prizes from next season onwards. There is still plenty of work ahead. Events at Wembley on Sunday were a reminder of that. But Matic knows exactly what it takes to reach the top so it's worth listening when he says he feels optimistic about their prospects.
"I think we are improving every day, game by game, step by step," he says. "I have to say that there is big difference between the beginning of the season and now - in a positive way, of course. If we add 30 per cent more on top of that, we will be ready to compete for the Premier League title.
"Soon, I think we will be ready to compete with anyone."
Watch Manchester United vs West Ham live on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event from 5pm on Wednesday; kick-off 6pm
