Nemanja Matic insists Man United 'really did try to do their best' to stop the rot last season

Roma star Nemanja Matic has urged that Manchester United 'really did try to do their best' to stop the rot last season.

The Serbian midfielder, who reunited with Jose Mourinho in Rome this summer, endured a disastrous final season at Old Trafford, carving out a dismal sixth-place finish with the Red Devils.

Despite admitting that the pressure was 'huge' at times last campaign, Matic insisted the club did everything they could to escape the miserable run of form.

'I have to say, everyone in the club really did try to do their best,' he told The Times.

'But when things are not going in the right direction, when the results aren't there, it's difficult, the pressure is huge, and of course nobody is happy with the performances.'

The 34-year-old believes the Premier League is significantly more competitive than it was when he first joined Chelsea over a decade ago.

Due to the increasing number of top teams in the division, Matic admitted his side were frequently 'punished' by opponents, mostly as a result of their poor organisation on the pitch.

He added: 'When I first came to Chelsea in 2009, there were four or five teams who didn't have the quality to compete. Now, every team has a top manager and top players.

'It doesn't matter what badge you are wearing, if you don't play well, if you're not well organised on the pitch, you get punished straight away.'