Former Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic has agreed a deal to return to Italy.
Veteran midfielder Nemanja Matic has ended his quick stint as a free agent after his contract with Lyon was terminated.
Widely regarded as one of the Premier League’s best defensive midfielders of the 2010s, Nemanja Matic faced a big decision this summer.
Matic agreed to cut short his contract with Lyon, ending his agreement with the French club one year early. Now he is heading back to Serie A.
Nemanja Matic warms up for Lyon
Photo by Marcio Machado/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images
Nemanja Matic set to sign with Sassuolo
Nemanja Matic is set to agree a one-year deal with Italian side Sassuolo, with an option for a further 12 months, TMW report.
It is Matic’s second spell in Italy after a stint with Roma, where he reunited with Jose Mourinho for a third time.
Mourinho signed Matic for Chelsea in 2014, before buying him for Manchester United in 2017 for £40 million.
Matic spent five years with Manchester United before his contract expired in 2022, and he signed for Mourinho again, at Roma.
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He joined Lyon 18 months later, where his side were knocked out of the Europa League by Manchester United earlier this year.
Matic had a public war of words with Red Devils goalkeeper Andre Onana before the tie, but the midfielder was an unused substitute in both games, with United winning 7-6 on aggregate.
Matic spoke about United disappointment
Speaking to The Athletic earlier this year, Matic expressed his frustration about how his time at United panned out.
He said: “I arrived at United with the anger to win trophies like I had at Chelsea, but step by step I started to feel that trophies were not the focus. Maybe I’m not right, but that was my feeling inside.”
Matic was left out of the Europa League Final in 2021 by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, a decision the manager admitted was a mistake.
Now back in Serie A for at least another year, Matic will be playing under the management of 2006 Italy World Cup hero Fabio Grosso.