Amid Chelsea's inconsistent start to the English Premier League season, the patchy performances of Nemanja Matic have stood out.
A midfield bulwark during Jose Mourinho's title-winning year in 2014-15, Matic struggled like many of Chelsea's stars last season and has been unable to pick up his form on a consistent basis in this campaign under the club's new manager Antonio Conte.
Given how impressive the Serb was under Mourinho, and how his stock has fallen since, it is perhaps little surprise that he has been linked with a move to join the Portuguese again at Manchester United.
As far back as June, Matic was reported to be of interest to Mourinho as part of a swap deal with out-of-favour Italy defender Matteo Darmian.
Now Transfermarketweb claims United is again reviving its interest in the 28-year-old, although Italian champions Juventus is also interested.
While Mourinho's teams are always dominated by tall, powerful players, that strategy has been ramped up at Old Trafford. Marouane Fellaini began the season in midfield next to rangy world-record transfer Paul Pogba, and while Fellaini has since been replaced in the first team by Ander Herrera, it is possible Mourinho wants to add more beef and guile to his midfield as he looks to get the best out of Pogba.
Matic would give him a heap of the former and a little of the latter; if Mourinho can get him performing anywhere near his best Chelsea form then this is a transfer United will not regret pulling off.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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