Nemanja Matic is now Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s ‘soldier’ and has earned manager’s trust

Nemanja Matic has revealed the reason behind his turnaround at Manchester United.

The central midfielder was frozen out by manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and looked set for a move away from Old Trafford last year, but he has now become a key player in the United side.

Matic’s position within the United camp has totally transformed and he has disclosed how he has revived his career at the club, stating that he is now Solskjaer’s ‘soldier’.

‘I’ve played football for a long time already and this situation is normal, sometimes you don’t play and the coach doesn’t see you as a first option. You can accept it or not but you have to be professional,’ he told Sky Sports.

‘You have to work hard, wait for your chance and use it. This is exactly what I did.

‘Now the situation is different, the coach trusts me more. I’m a soldier and I wait for the instructions from my coaching team.

‘To be honest, when you don’t play of course you think about everything but in my head, I always try to be positive. I always believe in my quality and I know if work hard my time is going to come again.’

United triggered the clause in Matic’s deal to extend it by one more year in March as he entered the last few months of his contract.

The Serbia international is in the form of his life, according to Solskjaer, as he singled out Matic’s performance in United’s 3-0 win over Sheffield United last week.