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There is seldom smoke without fire in football and these rumours have been so persistent that you wonder whether something eventually has to give.

The Guardian today stokes the fire of speculation about Juan Mata departing Manchester United – possibly in a swap deal involving Roma midfielder Kevin Strootman.

On first inspection of the new Manchester United you might say that the players most at risk of the chop are RvP and Mata.

The Dutchman looks off the pace in early season and he seemed less buoyant about the goals going in yesterday than many of his colleagues. Of course strikers want to score and he is no different.

If RvP did get benched then Mata could play behind captain Rooney and superstar Falcao. Mata keeps popping up with the goals but he has been the ‘most-dropped’ player from the predicted XIs that the internet has been awash with over the last fortnight.

Indeed, if we had to choose three from the four we would go with RvP, Roo and Falcao.

But this doesn’t account for injuries. Every squad gets them and even with a reduced playlist this season United will need their squad depth at times.

But The Guardian reports:

Roma may also find themselves in possession of one Juan Mata, with the Manchester United midfielder likely to be offered to the Serie A side as part of any deal to bring Dutch enforcer Kevin Strootman to Old Trafford.

Of course Mata is not only a very good player but appears to be the glue which is holding the new Spanish contingent together right now. Mata is a great guy to have around the squad but his interpreting skills alone surely won’t keep him in a job at Manchester United. He needs to keep performing otherwise we could easily imagine him being culled to make way for one of the other Gaalacticos.

Manchester United fans: Does Mata warrant a start?