Nemanja Matic has told Roy Keane he needs to accept “football has changed” after being on the receiving end of a withering dressing down.
The Serbian midfielder left Manchester United at the end of last season, bringing the curtain down on an underwhelming five-year stint at Old Trafford. Matic announced he would be leaving the club in April, allowing supporters to give him a send-off for his services throughout his stay.
And in his final weeks in the Premier League, Matic managed to get on the wrong side of former skipper Keane. Speaking after the 1-1 draw with Chelsea, he admitted that the Blues were still in his heart, as well as United.
Keane, appearing as a pundit on Sky Sports, scoffed at his remarks and claimed it was symptomatic of his old side’s decline in recent seasons.
“Where’s the standards at the club?” Keane said in response to the interview. “Matic is talking about I’m leaving, I’ve had a great time, Man United will always be in my heart, oh and Chelsea as well, oh and Benfica don’t forget them, they all can’t be in your heart."
Matic, who is now back with Jose Mourinho at Roma, has responded to Keane’s comments, claiming players can no longer act as he did during his legendary playing career.
“I have respect for what he has done but he needs to understand that football has changed,” he said, in an interview with The Times . “If I played for Chelsea, I cannot say I hate them. I cannot be angry when I’m talking to the press after the game.
“The way he behaved on pitch, 70 per cent of it is a red card today. You cannot throw a punch when all the cameras in the world are there. The real hero is when you go out on the street and say something, but he was always very nice with me, so what he says in public, to be honest, I don’t really care. I know what I’ve done in my career and I’m very happy.”
The 34-year-old was one of a number of veteran players to leave United in the summer and he admitted that the chance to play regular football again was behind his decision to make a move.
“To be honest, I needed a new challenge because I never started playing football for money, it was because I enjoyed being on the pitch,” he added. “I wanted to play more, so once I had the call from José, I was quite sure I made the right decision.”
But despite leaving United, Matic has seen some positive signs of the new regime, with Erik ten Hag overhauling the playing staff in the space of one summer.
That evolution of the squad saw the Red Devils get off to a bumpy start before winning their last four Premier League games on the spin. Matic said: “I see the way he wants to play and I think that’s the right way.”
