Chelsea Boss Antonio Conte Claims Matic's Move to Man Utd Was 'Unfortunate' Ahead of Key Clash

Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has claimed that his club's decision to sell midfield powerhouse Nemanja Matić to Manchester United was 'unfortunate', ahead of the

Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has claimed that his club's decision to sell midfield powerhouse Nemanja Matić to Manchester United was 'unfortunate', ahead of the two sides' Premier League clash.

Speaking ahead of the big game at Old Trafford, via the Daily Mail, the former Juventus boss was grilled on his opinion over the Blues board sanctioning the sale of the Serbian sensation, and admitted that letting Matić go was a decision he wasn't entirely happy with. Conte said:

"About this player I can talk only really well because he played with us last season. I think he was one of the key players in winning the title.

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"Now Matic, unfortunately, is playing for Manchester United. I wish for him the best. Not on Sunday, but in the future."

Matić originally signed for Chelsea in 2009, for a fee of just £1.5m. However, he failed to make an impact at Stamford Bridge, and was sold to Benfica after making just three appearances for the Blues in three years. After impressing in Portugal, Chelsea brought Matić back in 2013, where he went on to win two Premier League titles under José Mourinho and Antonio Conte.

At the start of this season, Chelsea sold Matić to United for almost double what they paid for him the second time around. However, many Blues fans were outraged by the decision - claiming that the club had handed their Premier League rivals a key advantage in the battle for the title.

Meanwhile, Conte has fully backed his defender Andreas Christensen after his costly error against Barcelona in the Champions League. The Danish youngster's error gifted the Catalan giants a precious away goal in the 1-1 draw, but Conte has claimed that Christensen will bounce back from the mistake, and could even go on to captain the club in the future.