PLAYER RATINGS: Pogba gets a THREE after Manchester United’s nervy 2-1 win over Watford at Old Trafford

PLAYER RATINGS: Pogba gets a THREE after Manchester United’s nervy 2-1 win over Watford at Old Trafford by Ali Akbar

Nemanja Matic was woeful during Manchester United’s nervy 2-1 win over Watford on Saturday. It’s time for Scott McTominay to take his place in the starting XI.

Manchester United were far from convincing during Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s first game in charge as permanent manager at the club.

Although the Red Devils beat Watford 2-1 in the Premier League on Saturday, Javi Garcia’s side dominated us for large portions of the game and were unlucky not to score more considering the whopping 20 shots they had at Old Trafford.

How on earth did the Hornets manage to get so many opportunities on our home turf, you ask? Look no further than Nemanja Matic.

Our holding midfielder did nothing to put an end to the constant waves of attack from the visiting side. Watford were able to play around him with ease, making us look like we were playing with a man down at times.

Matic lacked the pace to keep up with his opponents and the intelligence to get into the right spaces, and whenever he did win the ball back, he gifted it straight back to the opposition with a loose pass.

The dire showing from the Serbia international isn’t anything new: these have been recurring issues for the 30-year-old this season – even under Jose Mourinho.

Although Matic looked sharp in Solskjaer’s first few games in charge as caretaker manager, it seems like he has reverted back to his old self again – and United are suffering because of it.

It’s time for our new manager to consider dropping the Serbian from the starting XI and replacing him with an academy player who is already a massive improvement on him: Scott McTominay.

Indeed, McTominay has impressed in the few opportunities he’s had under Solskjaer, breaking up play, providing cover for his back four and playing it simple.

Look no further than his phenomenal performance in the 3-1 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, covering for the injured Matic.

As soon as Matic returned to the starting XI, United suffered back-to-back defeats against Arsenal and Wolverhampton Wanderers. Coincidence? I think not.

Now, I’m not saying that the Serbian should be sold in the summer, as he can still be a valuable squad player at United for years to come.

But he does deserve to be benched in favour of McTominay, who can use a run of games to prove that he should be United’s starting holding midfielder under Solskjaer.