DESPITE a sixth-place finish for Manchester United in the Premier League last season, Jose Mourinho completed phase one of his job by winning the Europa League and qualifying for the Champions League.
Phase two, and an assault on the league title, begins in a couple of weeks when the players return to pre-season training.
To help Mourinho achieve his target he’s looking to recruit a couple of trusted foot soldiers.
Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata, handed his first-team debut by Mourinho in 2010, is thought to be the one he’ll turn to for the goals.
In midfield, Nemanja Matic is tipped to swap Stamford Bridge for Old Trafford, once Tiemoue Bakayoko completes his move to Chelsea from Monaco later this week.
Whether he’s first, second or third choice on Mourinho’s midfield ‘list’, Matic is the perfect fit, and at 28 (29 on August 1), 6ft 4in, and after winning two Premier League titles in three years, it’s hard to argue with the Portuguese’s logic.
Mourinho’s relationship with Matic is an interesting one having accused him of “not playing well” and “not making good decisions with the ball” during the final few months of his second spell in charge at Chelsea.
But that hasn’t put the Serbian off, and like Morata, he understands Mourinho’s demands and what’s required to win trophies under him.
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The former Benfica man is also far from a Chelsea cast-off as some have claimed.
A look to the figure in his appearances column last season, 35 in the league alone, alongside some standout performances, including an unstoppable strike in the 4-2 FA Cup semi-final against Tottenham at Wembley, suggests that there is plenty left in the tank.
He will presumably sit in front of the back four and be sandwiched in between Ander Herrera and Paul Pogba.
Matic’s presence should provide even greater stability and protection to a defence that didn’t perform too badly last season and has already been boosted this summer by the arrival of Victor Lindelof from Benfica.
Real Madrid’s decision not to pursue keeper David De Ge is also a bonus.
It’s arguably in the attacking third where Matic will be appreciated the most though with his inclusion in the starting XI relieving Pogba of some of his defensive duties and providing the other creative players, some of which will be new arrivals, with the opportunity to express themselves more frequently.
If Antoine Griezmann was the Galactico signing that United and Ed Woodward couldn’t get over the line, then the pursuit of Morata and Matic shouldn’t be seen as United settling for second best.
Mourinho has been around the transfer block enough times to know when and how to react and will tweak his plan accordingly.
At the heart of his quest to restore United to the top of the domestic tree is his insistence on putting the team way above that of any individual.
So, while Matic may not be the ‘sexy’ signing many fans craved, don’t be surprised to see him with the Premier League trophy in his hands next May, only this time in the red of United.
Twitter : @MrTomMcDermott
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