Whatever you feel about the man himself – there seems to be regular negativity focused on this guy – it’s difficult to argue with the fact that Wayne Rooney is the perfect Premier League player.
He offers great physical presence between the midfield and attack. He scores goals and quickens the play with his passing and vision. He’s brilliant when his team doesn’t have the ball and he even makes the defence more sturdy with regular contributions at the back.
And watching Juan Mata running around the park like a lost kid on Monday it was even more painfully obvious that Manchester United were seriously weakened without their talisman.
The Spaniard is a very poor imitation of a top number 10. He gets pushed off the ball so easily. He isn’t quick enough to put any real pressure on the opposition when they have possession. His forte is supposed to be passing but he always seems to slow the play down with an extra touch instead of turning the defence with a quick forward ball.
Mata is a real problem for Manchester United. He’s never going to be a star of that team. We don’t think he will ever be seen as a big part of it. But having paid a ridiculous £37m for him – a further indictment of the Moyes era – he’s not easy to offload.
Let him go for £15m (probably his true value) and United will be slated for their profligacy in the market. But keep him on and his value will surely decrease quickly.
We just aren’t sure what Mata is supposed to bring to the team. He scores the odd tap in but goes missing for whole games – even when he’s playing in his preferred position – and he makes Manchester United more pedestrian with his cautious passing. He was completely anonymous against West Brom. And if he can’t turn it on against a mid-table Premier League side then how much can we expect from him against Chelsea or in the latter stages of The Champions League?
Manchester United miss Wayne Rooney. They would have won if he was playing on Monday night and his absence will be even more keenly felt against the big boys.
Manchester United fans: is there a future at the club for Mata?
Ibrahim Yunusa
Oct 22, 2014 at 12:20 am
Mata has no future at ManU. So pathetic to have watched him walking and “sleeping” on the pitch against WBA. United to replace Januzi, Mata and Herrera with Valencia, Carrick and Falcao against Chelsea. Roony to pair Falcao against Mancity. RvP to be on the bench against Mancity. To be candid, United MUST buy to very good central defenders in January.