Thomas Hein
Juan Mata has been one of our unsung heroes ever since he moved from Chelsea but there are a number of people who believe the Spaniard was kicked out from Stamford Bridge by Jose Mourinho.
The Portuguese sold him in the 2nd transfer window after his appointment and the same people feared that a similar event would transpire at Old Trafford when the former Real Madrid manager joined us.
Mata, however, has constantly refuted rumours that Mourinho had booted him out of Stamford Bridge and was quoted by the Daily Star when he spoke to Mundo Deportivo.
“I faced it naturally,” the 29-year-old clarified, once again, that he has no problems working with Mourinho.
“It’s true I received calls from concerned friends and family but I knew that I didn’t have any personal problems with Mourinho at Chelsea.
“What hurt me is that they spread rumours and lies about what did not happen.”
Mata has been in great form for us and even though he has been shifted out to the wing, the Spaniard has scored 3 times and has provided 4 assists in the Premier League.
His form was even better last season when he scored 10 goals in all competitions and if he does have a similar return come the end of the season, it would cap off another brilliant season at Old Trafford. But being 29 at the moment, his game time will be limited and hopefully, Mourinho does have a plan to use Mata in the best way possible.
The Spaniard’s game time hasn’t been affected all that much this season but with the likes of Anthony Martial, Jesse Lingard and now Alexis Sanchez also at the club, Mata will have to be at his best in order to claim a starting XI spot regularly.
It is good that the Spaniard has come out and cleared the issue that keeps popping up every now and then.
Mata is one of the best professionals in the game and he is an example for some of our youngsters. I would love to keep Mata at the club even after he retires and hopefully, he will have a chance to stick around for a number of years.
