Former Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic has admitted that the opportunity to work with Jose Mourinho once again was one of the key elements that convinced him to join Roma.
The Serbian international left United at the end of last season after running down his contract. Roma announced his arrival at the Stadio Olimpico last month, signing him on a one-year deal.
His exit from the club brought his five-year association with the Reds to an end, following his arrival at Old Trafford from Chelsea in July 2017. Mourinho had worked with him at Stamford Bridge and was determined to be reunited with him in M16, signing him to strengthen his midfield options.
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And Matic has now admitted that the opportunity to work with Mourinho, who spent two-and-a-half years in charge at United, for a third time was too good a chance to turn down. The 33-year-old is a favourite of the Portuguese's and the former is happy to have been reunited with him.
Matic told reporters: "We know each other very well. I am very happy to be here with him again and he was one of the reasons why I chose Roma.
"Roma, as a club, is attractive to players and also to me, and I am very happy to be part of this big club. Only Frank Lampard has more games with Jose than me and I will try to break his record."
Across two spells, Matic spent ten years playing in the Premier League, with his most recent stint amounting to eight years. With that in mind, the midfielder felt that now was the right time to try something different.
"After eight-and-a-half years in the Premier League, I decided that now is the right time to go and find a new challenge," added the former United ace. "And as I said in my previous answer, Roma was very attractive."
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