Manchester United legend Nemanja Vidic has been impressed by the performance of his namesake and former Serbian compatriot Nemanja Matic. The 29-year-old has been a huge hit during his short time at Old Trafford, keeping the likes of Ander Herrera and Michael Carrick out of the lineup.
In an interview covered on United’s official website, Vidic discussed his early association with the former Blues midfielder, who started from his early roots in Kosice, he said: “My first impressions of him were positive – a nice guy, someone good to have around and someone who would be right in the dressing room. Unlike many of the players in the Serbian national side, he did not play for Red Star or Partizan Belgrade at a senior level. He’s from Sabac, close to Belgrade, but he found his way via football in Slovakia where he was Player of the Year there with Kosice. He was a very talented footballer.”
Matic only joined the Red Devils during the backend of their pre-season, but he has slotted effortlessly into Jose Mourinho’s plans. Vidic won five Premier League titles and the Champions League during his nine-year stint at Old Trafford, and he believes that Matic’s trophy-winning mentality will come in handy when United approach the crunch stage of the campaign.
“There are not so many players left at Old Trafford who have won the title before, so that trophy-winning mentality is very important because it can’t only come from a very successful manager. Nemanja has been there before and he knows what it’s like when the pressure really builds in a title race,” he added.
With the international break underway, Matic’s focus will be with Serbia, who hold a good chance of topping their World Cup qualification group. The Serbians face off against Moldova and Ireland in September, and victories over both will take them on the cusp of next year’s tournament in Russia.
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