Nemanja Matic‘s (£5.0m) move to Manchester United from Chelsea could be very significant for Fantasy Premier League managers.
He may not personally offer big Fantasy potential but his impact on his new team-mates – particularly Paul Pogba (£8.0m) – could be huge.
Matic excelled in his defensive-midfield role while playing for current Man Utd manager Jose Mourinho in 2014/15.
In that season he bettered all other Premier League midfielders for tackles won (129), recoveries made (312) and successful clearances made (116).
Those numbers regressed under Antonio Conte.
He was handed more freedom to attack and this impacted on his defensive contribution.
Matic made a tackle every 35.1 minutes in 2016/17. In comparison, he averaged one every 15.3 minutes in Mourinho’s final full season at Chelsea.
Matic is set to revert back to his 2014/15 figures, with his remit limited to protecting the Man Utd rearguard.
In Fantasy terms, that could boost their clean-sheet potential but also transform Pogba as an option.
