Manchester United players have a bit of extra time on their hands amid the suspension of football due to the coronavirus pandemic.
There is still no official return date for the Premier League, but there remains a determination to get the 2019/20 season finished as soon as it is safe to do so.
United midfielder Nemanja Matic looks to have been using the unexpected time to hone his skills. The Serbian posted a video on his Instagram account of him doing keepy-uppies in his garden including tricks and flicks, before volleying the ball into the top corner of the goal.
The clip received a positive response from teammate Daniel James, the Welsh international replying with a comment reading: “The King” alongside a flame emoji.
Matic’s reply to James showed the nickname that James may go by in the Old Trafford changing room.
“Thank you speedy Gonzales,” he wrote.
James made an instant impression at United after joining from Swansea City in the summer in a deal worth around £15million.
The 22-year-old’s speed both with and without the ball has helped him score four goals and assist a further seven in his first season at Old Trafford, including scoring on his Premier League debut in the 4-0 win over Chelsea in the opening game of the season back in August.
His nickname certainly lives up to the comments he made back in October.
“I think me being the player who, every time I get the ball, I'm driving; that's my game and is something I won't stop,” he said.
"When you are going into the game, and that one-v-one battle [with the full-back], you've got to believe you're going to win it. You could lose a ball nine times out of 10 but it's important to get the ball again and be confident to be able to go on because, that one opportunity where you do get past them, you could score a goal or make an assist. So I think, over time, I've learned.”
