Nemanja Matic insists he is nowhere near hitting top gear after missing pre-season for Manchester United

Nemanja Matic has promised Manchester United fans there is still much more to come from him after missing pre-season.

The midfielder has been one of United’s stand out players of the new season, settling in immediately into Jose Mourinho’s side after a summer switch from Chelsea.

Matic joined United just over two weeks before the start of the season and the Serbian revealed he has been struggling to keep up in games.

‘I didn’t have pre-season. I trained alone. I can feel it in some parts of the game,’ he said.

‘My body is not ready yet and I have some difficulty, of course, but I try to hide that and to play simple. I will be better.’

Despite the fitness issues, Matic has still turned in some excellent performances for his new team and has played every minute of United’s league campaign so far.

Mourinho relied heavily on Matic to marshal the midfield in his title-winning season at Chelsea and forked out £40million to sign bring him to Old Trafford.

Matic has helped shield a United defence that struggled at times last season and has brought a renewed calm to the midfield.

But one player who has impressed Matic is his regular midfield partner, Marouane Fellaini.

‘He is a great player,’ Matic said about Fellaini.

‘If you see him how he works everyday in the training session, his games that he played didn’t surprise me – that he played well, that he scored goals.

‘He deserves everything well because he works a lot and he is a great player.

‘He doesn’t have the credit that he deserves. I don’t know why, I don’t know really.

‘But I really enjoy playing with him and I am sure that we will continue like this.’

United have two weeks off as international football takes over and do not play again until a trip to Liverpool on October 14.

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