Jose Mourinho praised Manchester United signing Nemanja Matic after revealing that the midfielder's transfer would have been unlikely unless he forced the issue with Chelsea.
Matic completed his move to United for an initial £40million - with another £5m in potential add-ons - on Monday afternoon to reunite with Mourinho at Old Trafford.
The 28-year-old Serbian had grown wary of losing out on first-team football at Stamford Bridge following Tiemoue Bakayoko's £40m arrival from Monaco.
Antonio Conte left the midfielder out of his pre-season tour squad along with Diego Costa as he sought to leave the west London club, and Chelsea have allowed Matic to move to a direct rival following his role in two Premier League title-winning campaigns.
Mourinho hailed Matic as the perfect man to boost United's midfield, but says the player himself had a major role in making sure the deal went through - especially after Mourinho beat Conte to Romelu Lukaku earlier in the transfer window.
"Nemanja is a Manchester United player and a Jose Mourinho player," the former Chelsea boss told United's official website.
"He represents everything we want in a footballer; loyalty, consistency, ambition, team player.
"I would like to thank him for his desire to join us because without that, it would be impossible to have him here.
"I am sure our players and supporters will love him. A big welcome to our new number 31."
Matic - who turns 29 on August 1 - has signed an initial three-year contract, with the option to extend by a further year.
