Benfica manager Jorge Jesus has insisted it ‘is difficult’ for them to bring Nemanja Matic back to the club from Manchester United this summer.
The Serbian midfielder is out of contract at Old Trafford in 2023 after signing a new deal with the club in 2024.
He could find himself moving before that point, though, particularly if Manchester United were to invest in another midfielder this summer.
Indeed, Matic recently found himself being asked which clubs he would leave United for if given the chance and named former employers Benfica as one of them after spending three years there between 2011 and 2014.
Whether Benfica would be keen to have their former star back had been unknown, but Jesus has now responded to the suggestions.
A Bola report that he would ‘like the Serbian’s wish to come true’ but admits it is “very difficult for that to happen” as Portuguese sides “don’t have the possibility” of paying the “contracts of players from big European teams”.
He remains a fan of the player, though, the midfielder having made 98 appearances under him during his first spell in charge of Benfica.
Indeed, it was Jesus who converted him into a defensive midfielder, and the Benfica boss believes “there are few in the world” who are as good at playing in that position.
The affection and admiration is clearly still there, then, but unless the Manchester United man is willing to take a considerable cut in his wages, it seems he won’t be returning to Portugal any time soon.
