Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic has told the young players at the club to improve their concentration levels in Premier League games against low-profile opposition.
The Red Devils have thrived in high-pressure fixtures, beating old boss Jose Mourinho’s new Tottenham Hotspur side and following that win with victory in a local derby at the Etihad Stadium against Manchester City earlier in December.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team have been hit with an injury blow to senior players including Matic, Eric Bailly, Luke Shaw, Anthony Martial, and Paul Pogba for much of the 2019-20 campaign, and the Norwegian has been found out in matches against teams further down the table, unable to break down their defenses.
The 20-time Premier League champions have failed to beat Bournemouth, Sheffield United, Aston Villa, and Everton in their past seven league games, having previously lost away games against Newcastle United and West Ham as well as a home fixture with South London club Crystal Palace.
Following his inclusion into the squad after two months out with a knee injury on international duty with Serbia, Matic feels that consistency will be imperative for Manchester United if they are to improve in their sixth place on the table.
Reporters asked the Serbian midfielder the main reason why United are performing well against the big teams, Matic tried to explain that concentration is important and the youngsters need to perform against the lower profile teams, “It’s difficult to explain, but I think that we have a very young team, When we play big games against big players, big teams – when I say big teams, I mean teams at the top of the league like Liverpool, Chelsea, City, Tottenham – then I think these young players have more concentration.”
