Nemanja Matic: The central figure overlooked in Manchester United’s demise

As far as Manchester United are concerned, it’s fair to say that there are plenty of players that periodically or, in some cases, consistently come in for heavy criticism.

Paul Pogba is the most obvious example, but the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Alexis Sanchez, Marcus Rashford and Chris Smalling are also singled out for reproval from pundits, fans and their manager at times.

There aren’t many that get away scot-free at a club that is constantly in the spotlight, but the closest to doing so is perhaps Nemanja Matic. It may be due to the fact that he plays alongside Pogba, who draws the most ridicule for a variety of reasons that aren’t always justified, or because his role in the side is an understated one, but the Serbian has been some way off his best for a long time now.

There were some concerns that he had already shown signs of decline in his final two seasons at Chelsea, though they were allied by a hugely impressive start to life at Old Trafford. Matic displayed the sort of form that saw him become a fan favourite upon his return to the Premier League with the Blues, helping the club to two league titles in his three full seasons back in the capital.

The midfielder played a pivotal role as United dropped just two points from the first 21 available last season, but as the campaign wore in his influence began to wane. At his best his lanky frame is a real positive, able to intercept passes at will and hold off opponents when in possession, but at his worst he looks leggy in the negative sense of the word.

In truth Matic has looked off the pace for much of this calendar year, but his struggles this season have gone under the radar somewhat and at present he isn’t really offering much. His interceptions have halved this season, from a modest 1.8 to just 0.9 per game, while his tackles are also down from 1.9 to 1.5.

He’s not protecting the defence as he should as a result, and it’s a defence that desperately needs just that. Not only has his overall output dwindled when United are out of possession, but he isn’t alleviating pressure by carrying the ball upfield either.

His ability to glide past opponents has been an underrated trait, completing 54 dribbles both last time out and in his best full season at Stamford Bridge (2014/15). This season he has completed just six in his first ten appearances, admittedly from just seven attempts, but if that’s a result of instruction from his manager then it is difficult to see the benefit elsewhere as things stand.

As a result, Matic looks laboured in his play at times, which isn’t ideal from your deepest lying midfielder. While one might reasonably attribute a slow start to feeling the effects of the surgery he underwent following the World Cup, without a pre-season to get up to speed, this far into the campaign his form should be a real concern.

At 30 years of age there should be plenty left in the tank but a player that was once a Rolls-Royce of a ball winning midfielder has looked like he’s running on empty for much of this season. As a result a meagre WhoScored.com rating of 6.57 is not only his worst since returning to the Premier League by a huge margin but ranks among the bottom ten players in the entire league to have made at least ten starts and no substitute appearances.

The case remains that a number of United players have been below par this season, including those that tend to bare the brunt of the blame, but if their midfield general doesn’t buck up his ideas the Red Devils will meander towards another Europa League finish at best.