Manchester United star announces he will leave in the summer

Manchester United’s squad looks set to undergo a major transformation over the course of the summer and one long-time star has already announced that he will be leaving the club at the end of this season in the form of Nemanja Matic.

Matic had already proven himself as a Premier League-winning midfielder at Chelsea before joining Manchester United in 2017. Since then, he has had an eventful time at the club.

During his first few seasons at Old Trafford, Matic was a regular member of the starting XI and one of the club’s best players but in recent times, he has evolved into more of a squad player as he has grown older. The Serbian is 33 years of age now and while no longer a starter, he is a key member of the squad, both on and off the pitch.

As reported by Manchester United’s official website, Matic has announced on Instagram that he will be leaving the club at the end of this season, as he wrote:

"“After a great deal of thought, I have decided that this season will be my last with Manchester United. I have informed the board, the manager and the players of my decision.“It has been a huge honour and a privilege to play for this great club.  A big thank you to the fans for their unwavering support.“I will now give everything until the end of the season to help my team-mates finish as strongly as possible.”"

Matic will leave Manchester United at the end of the season

It would be safe to say that Matic played the best football of his career at Chelsea but that does not mean that he was not an important part of Manchester United since joining the club in 2017. In fact, he made more appearances for the Red Devils than he did for The Blues.

His departure just increases the urgency for Manchester United to sign a new defensive midfielder. It has been an area of worry for the club for a while and even though they were expected to make an addition there in the previous two transfer windows, they did not end up doing so either time.

Erik ten Hag appears to be the heavy favourite to be appointed the next Manchester United manager though and one would expect the Dutchman to ring in the changes upon arrival.