NEMANJA MATIC has revealed his horror at a Manchester United fine he received and insisted “that would never happen at Chelsea”.
The Red Devils swooped on Premier League rivals Chelsea in 2017 to land the midfielder in a deal worth £40million.
It was a move that reunited the Serbia midfielder with old boss Jose Mourinho and at the time he admitted working with the Special One again was “an opportunity he couldn’t turn down”.
Matic, 37, was arriving at Old Trafford as a champion and determined to fight for further title glory with his new club.
However, he noted a red flag that went against United was the club focus on the commercial side of the game.
And that ended with Matic telling Mourinho he would NEVER play for the club again if he was forced to pay out after landing a club fine.
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Speaking to FourFourTwo, Matic recalled: “I was going to United a champion and was motivated to be the same there.
“When I saw the team, I was sure we’d fight for the title, but Manchester City became champions and we finished in second.
“I played well – a lot of players did. I believed we could fight properly for the title in my second season, but I do think the club was focused on the commercial side.
“Once, I was injured and we had a game at the weekend.
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“On the Wednesday, I didn’t train because my ankle was swollen and I said to a physio, ‘Can you do the treatment this afternoon?’
“We did that, but there was a commercial day at Old Trafford at 3pm.
“A couple of days later, my agent called and asked what I’d done, as I didn’t check my emails.
“I had a look and I’d been fined for not going to the event. I went to Jose and said, ‘Listen, if I pay this, I’ll never play for this club again.’
“He said he’d get it sorted and it was, but something like that would never have happened at Chelsea.
“I don’t want to criticise United, I respect them deeply. I hope it’s different now.”