Real Madrid have now reportedly shortlisted Manchester United megastar Cristiano Ronaldo as one of their targets following their failure to lure Kylian Mbappe to the Bernabeu.
11.05.2022 - 06:43 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Nemanja Matic suggests he would not have embarked on a lap of appreciation after his final Manchester United home match if it had not been for encouragement from Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Serbian midfielder played his final home match for United last week following news that he would leave the club when his contract expires at the end of the season.
Matic, 33, received a standing ovation when he was taken off during the 3-0 win over Brentford a week ago, before being applauded by fans as he embarked on a lap of appreciation after the game.
READ MORE: Nemanja Matic issues update on his future ahead of Manchester United exit
However, the former Chelsea midfielder has now revealed he would have preferred to head straight down the tunnel at full-time before Ronaldo intervened.
“I feel great and it’s really great to say goodbye to the club and the fans in such a wonderful way. There were 75,000 people in the stands,” he told K1 Televizija.
“I wanted to leave a mark in that club, after Nemanja Vidic, who was the first to do so. But everything that is beautiful has an end. I tried to brighten the face of all people in Serbia with my game, and I hope that someone from our region will continue this tradition.
“I wanted to get off the field as soon as possible, because I don’t like to have something revolving around me and to be in the centre of attention, but Ronaldo told me ‘Wait, what are you doing? Come back’. It is a great honour to share a dressing room with him every day.
“I don’t like to talk about myself, it should be done by others, and nowadays, because of the internet and new technologies, with one click you can find out everything about what I did and what I achieved.”
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Here are your Manchester United morning headlines on Friday, May 6:
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