Antonio Conte regrets selling midfielder to Manchester United

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has admitted that he still regrets the club's decision to sell Nemanja Matic to arch-rivals Manchester United last summer.

The Serbia international had won his second Premier League crown with the Blues in three seasons, but he was nevertheless offloaded amid the imminent arrival of Tiemoue Bakayoko.

Bakayoko has since struggled to live up to his expectations from his AS Monaco days, and this has brought a sense of frustration among the fans in recent weeks. Speaking in the lead-up to the United game, Conte said that it was unfortunate that Matic left the west London side, but he is hopeful that the Serbian does not show up on Sunday afternoon.

He told reporters, via The Mirror: "About this player [Matic] 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. Now Matic, unfortunately, is playing for Manchester United. I wish for him the best. Not on Sunday, but in the future. In the past we have already managed this topic."

Matic saw himself dominated by N'Golo Kante during United's 1-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge earlier in the season, but the 29-year-old will be determined to put in a stronger performance this afternoon in order to retain second place, which they lost after Liverpool's win over West Ham United yesterday.