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United midfielder Nemanja Matic has spoken highly of his experience of
playing at Benfica, ahead of the Red Devils' clash with the Portuguese
side.
Matic was at the Eagles between 2011 and 2014 and won a league title, three domestic cups, and a Player of the Year award while improving his game under the guidance of then-manager Jorge Jesus.
United are preparing to take on Benfica in the UEFA Champions League group stage on Wednesday when they travel to Estadio da Luz, hoping to maintain their perfect record in Group A.
“When I first came to Benfica, the manager Jorge Jesus told me on my first day I would be playing as a no.6 or as a defensive midfielder,” Matic told MUTV.
“At the beginning, it was strange for me because I didn’t know I could play that position but, slowly, I trained with the team and the manager explained to me how to do it. And after a lot of hard work, now, I’m at Manchester United, so I must have done the job well!”
“It’s a special club, a club that I love. At Benfica, I learnt a lot about football and about the pressure of playing for a big club, because they are one of the best clubs in Europe.
“I will support them for the rest of my life and they will have a special place in my heart but, in the Champions League, I hope we can take points from them,”
Kick off is at 20:45.
