Chelsea fans were not pleased when Juan Mata left for Manchester United. The Spaniard was a fan favourite at Stamford Bridge but Jose Mourinho’s return for a second stint as manager in 2014 spelled danger for the midfield playmaker. At the time, the Portuguese boss also had Eden Hazard and Oscar at his disposal as attacking threats, and it became very quickly apparent that Mata was the odd one out of the trio.
When Manchester United offered £37million in the 2014 January transfer window, Mourinho was all too happy to accept the offer with the Chelsea manager believing the Spaniard had become unsettled at the London club due to a lack of game time. Publicly, it appeared a mutual parting of ways. Mata wanted consistent playing time and Mourinho didn’t want to keep an unhappy player at the club.
Under the surface though, the fact that one of Chelsea’s most talented players departed just six months after Mourinho’s arrival for a rival club suggests that the Portuguese was not convinced that Mata could perform under him. When the pair were reunited just 30 months later, many believed the Spanish midfielder would find it hard to convince Mourinho a second time around.
Manchester United’s new manager was however quite open to the 28 year old remaining at Old Trafford despite previously selling the Spaniard to the Red Devils. Although it must be said that Mata has not always consistently started this season, when he has been given the chance by Mourinho, it is fair to say that he has impressed, and at least proven to Mourinho he can play a part under him for United.
Scoring the opening the goal against Arsenal, and the opener versus West Ham United after coming on a substitute, have been notable instances where Mata has proven his worth to the United manager this season. In some cases, he has also managed to sideline Mourinho’s signing Henrikh Mkhitaryan, playing on the right hand side of midfield in the absence of the Armenian.
His seven goals in 27 matches, are a sign of a player making the most of the opportunities he is getting, and making it hard for Mourinho to keep him on the bench for long periods. Yet, after starting only 20 games in all competitions out of a possible 35 so far this campaign, it shows that he still has some convincing to do.
It should be noted however that with the number of talented forwards and midfielders in United’s squad who can play from wide positions, starting 57% of matches and playing a part in 77% of them suggests that Mourinho is being won over by Mata’s displays.
Whether he will be ever 100% trusted, we will need to wait and see over a longer period of time. What we can say for sure though is that he has managed to become a mainstay in the United first team when other players like Memphis Depay, Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastian Schweinsteiger struggled even for game time when, like Mata, they were not Mourinho signings. Unlike Mata, they hadn’t played and been sold before by the United boss, suggesting that a change in opinion has certainly occurred when it comes to the Spanish playmaker.
