The Serbian's importance to this Manchester United team was evident in the fact that Matic had started all but one of Solskjaer's 13 matches prior to the Liverpool game. From a player who looked tired and ineffective under Mourinho to regaining his old stature back under Solskjaer - Matic transformation under the Norwegian has been nothing short of miraculous.
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While Solskjaer deserves all the credit for turning the Serbian's season around, Matic has repaid that favour by a brilliant run in the middle of the park. He is the support that allows Ander Herrera and Paul Pogba to flourish and immerse themselves in their duties without worries. He is the stability that provides confidence to the United back four and more often than not, he is also the source of exquisite balls from the back that open up the opposition.
As such, Matic's absence in this team will be a big blow for his Norwegian manager. He could miss up to three weeks, after picking up an injury in the build up to the Liverpool game. In his absence, Solskjaer has turned to McTominay, but in truth, very few players in the world could replace Matic in this team. As such, the Norwegian's prolonged absence will be a devastating blow to Solskjaer's plans.
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About the author
Deepungsu Pandit
Deepungsu is a veteran football journalist who has been covering daily transfer roundups and news for over six years at Sportskeeda. He has written close to 9000 articles for the website, and has garnered over 19.5Million reads.
Deepungsu holds a PG degree in Microbiology and an MBA degree in Total Quality Management. He has an extensive two-decade long writing experience, which includes a decade of sports blogging. His writing prowess has even led his work getting cited on the legendary Franz Beckenbauer's Wikipedia page.
Inspired by Diego Maradona, Deepungsu played as an attacking midfielder for his local club at subdivision level in his initial years and scored an important goal or two. However, his all-time favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and evidently, he feels Argentina's glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment for fulfilling his long-standing dream. He is also an ardent East Bengal fan.
Deepungsu has been a Manchester United supporter since the year 2000. Unsurprisingly, his favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson and the Scotsman helped him get through some of the toughest days of his life. Like the fiery Scot, Deepungsu also leaves no stone unturned when it comes to accuracy in articles and only relies on credible sources.
Despite believing in Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland to create an iconic rivalry, Deepungsu reckons no one can match the longevity of Messi and Ronaldo. He spends his leisure time writing about life on his blog, reading books, and playing the guitar.