Phil Neville believes that Chelsea have inadvertently boosted Manchester United’s chances of winning the Premier League title this season.
The former United and Everton player has claimed that the signing of Nemanja Matic from Stamford Bridge could be the difference between lifting the trophy or missing out.
The Serbian midfielder moved to Old Trafford last month, which the Daily Mail reported cost £40m, after Chelsea recruited Tiemoue Bakayoko from Monaco.
It was widely suggested that Matic would have had fewer minutes on the pitch due to the 22-year-old’s arrival.
Despite that possibility, it seems that Blues manager Antonio Conte did not want to let him go, recently telling Sky Sports during its Premier League launch that the midfielder would be a “great loss” for the team.
Neville discussed the transfer during Sky Sports’ nightly show ‘The Debate’, and could not understand why the reigning Premier League champions would let Matic leave in the first place.
“I can’t think of a reason why Chelsea would sell him. If Nathaniel Chalobah or Ruben Loftus-Cheek were still there they could get rid of Matic and play a younger kid.
“You would applaud that but those players aren’t even at the club now. They have weakened their own team and strengthened Manchester United, who now have a better chance of winning the Premier League than Chelsea.”
