Nemanja Matic sends message after Lyon fight back to hold Manchester United to 2-2 draw

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Former Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic was outspoken in his pre-match interviews. It is unclear who will have the final say.

Ahead of Manchester United’s 2-2 draw with Lyon, Andre Onana and Nemanja Matic were engaged in a war of words.

Matic took exception to Onana’s assertion United are ‘the better team’, blasting the goalkeeper as the worst in United history.

Onana hit back by toasting his FA Cup win last year, noting how Matic had not won a trophy with United.

The exchange showed a bit of personality from a couple of players, not a bad thing in the modern era, but from a United perspective there was no laughing matter.

As Matic noted, Onana lacks the credentials to talk big, and let himself and his team down with a woeful goalkeeping display in Lyon.

Nemanja Matic takes the high road

Nemanja Matic’s Lyon took the lead, then saw United go 2-1 up, before equalising in stoppage time to take a 2-2 draw into the second leg.

Matic did not play a single minute, however. The big Serbian midfielder was left on the bench, and was an unused substitute, with Lyon manager Paulo Fonseca only making one change.

The former United midfielder would have had a great view from the stands of Onana’s clangers – but chose not to reference them in a post-match message.

Matic did send a message out following the draw, taking a more diplomatic route.

He shared a picture alongside members of the Manchester United backroom staff, with the words, “Nice to see my brothers again.”

There will be more reunions ahead of Matic when he returns to Old Trafford for the first time since his departure in June 2022.

Manchester United clash with Lyon finely poised

Lyon playmaker Rayan Cherki demonstrated that he will seize an opportunity if he is presented with one, and Manchester United must be careful in the second leg.

Bruno Fernandes was denied shooting opportunities against Lyon, and it is possible they choose to deploy Nemanja Matic at some point in the second leg too.

The match-up at Old Trafford is all to play for, a winner takes all game, with United’s season on the line.

United really should have had a lead to defend, after Joshua Zirkzee’s late header put the Red Devils 2-1 up. But unfortunately Nemanja Matic’s words about Andre Onana rang true.