This archive report was first published on 5 September 2019.
Manchester United's Premier League title hopes are hanging in the balance, and midfielder Nemanja Matic has made it clear that coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be held accountable if the team fails to compete for the top spot.
Matic, who joined Manchester United from Chelsea in 2017, has been left out of the team's starting lineup this season, playing only 22 minutes in one appearance as a substitute against Southampton.
Manchester United, who last won the league title in 2013, are currently eighth in the table after four games, trailing league leaders Liverpool by seven points.
Speaking ahead of Serbia's European Qualifier against Portugal on September 5, 2019, Matic stated, 'The coach must opt for the team that will fight for the title and if he does not win, he bears the responsibility.'
Matic, who has played almost all the games for all the clubs in the last 10 years, expressed his determination to prove Solskjaer wrong and earn his place back in the team.
'I work as hard as I can. We respect the decision, it's up to me to show him that he was wrong and to bring me back to where I belong,' Matic added.
Manchester United return to league action after the international break when they host Brendan Rodgers' unbeaten Leicester at Old Trafford on September 14.
