Michael Duberry has told Sports Mole that Nemanja Matic is one of the most important players within the current Chelsea squad.
The match-winning exploits of summer signings Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas have dominated the headlines, while Eden Hazard's stock has continued to rise throughout the opening months of the campaign.
However, while Matic's role at the base of the Blues midfield has sometimes gone unnoticed publicly, Duberry has insisted that the Serbian's contribution will always be acknowledged by his teammates.
"The role he is doing, it won't get him many headlines or on the back pages too often. Yet, in that dressing room, all of the players will be aware of his role and they will appreciate him," said the former Chelsea defender.
"As a player, there is no better feeling than having the appreciation of your peers, even if you don't score plenty of goals or make great saves. He will be getting that inside the Chelsea dressing room.
"He's massively vital. He plays every game. What Chelsea have is a good spine to their team and Matic is a part of that. From that strong spine, you can then have those that branch off like Eden Hazard. As good as John Terry and Gary Cahill are defensively, Matic takes some of the burden off them."
Matic, 26, originally joined the West Londoners in 2009, but after just two appearances and a loan stint with Vitesse Arnhem, he left for Benfica in 2011. In January of this year, though, he returned to Stamford Bridge for a fee of £21m.
Liam Apicella
