Matic reveals Chelsea's winning culture dwarfed Manchester United's commercial focus during his time at both clubs

Nemanja Matic has drawn a sharp distinction between his time at Chelsea and Manchester United, arguing that Chelsea under Roman Abramovich were singularly obsessed with winning trophies in a way he never experienced at Old Trafford.

The 36-year-old Serbian midfielder won two Premier League titles during his second spell at Stamford Bridge before completing a £40 million move to United in 2017. He spent five years at Old Trafford without lifting a single piece of silverware.

Speaking ahead of Chelsea’s meeting with United at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, Matic — now playing for Sassuolo — reflected on the cultural gap between the two clubs. “The difference I felt after Chelsea was that, at Chelsea, everything was about the result and winning trophies,” he said. “That was the spirit in the whole club, even from the man who cuts the grass. Roman Abramovich would only ask us about results. At United, it was more commercial-minded. I started to think that after a couple of months in the club.”

Matic was careful not to lay the blame for United’s barren spell solely at the feet of the players or coaching staff. “We did our best every single year, the players, the coaches, but we didn’t win,” he said. “If I compare how we did with United now, then we did great, but of course, United cannot be happy finishing second. United need to be winning leagues. We gave it our best and sometimes we’d get criticised, but I didn’t see any major problems in the club. The organisation was very good, the conditions perfect.”

The comments arrive at a turbulent moment for United. Manager Michael Carrick has won just one league game this season, and the club’s difficulties deepened when captain Bruno Fernandes was dropped for the 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth after publicly criticising Carrick’s tactics following a 4-1 loss to Como.

The fallout prompted a strong response from former United midfielder Paul Scholes, who said Fernandes’ public criticism was “unforgivable”. “How can Bruno Fernandes be trusted to be captain of any team he ever goes to now?” Scholes said. “I think he probably needs to get away from European football and just go to Saudi, just get out the way. I don’t think any manager, any member of staff can trust him after that.”

Carrick remains in charge for Saturday’s fixture against a Chelsea side that, like United, is a shadow of the dominant force it was during the Abramovich era — the very period Matic holds up as the gold standard for winning culture in English football.