Having arrived from Premier League rivals Chelsea back in January 2014 for a reported fee in the region of £37.1m, Juan Mata has established himself as a true veteran of English football. As per Transfermarkt, the Spaniard has racked up an incredible 252 appearances in just the Premier League, scoring 50 goals and providing 60 assists.Watch Manchester United Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below
Unfortunately for him, the 31-year-old is seeing his influence gradually diminish by the week, and this season alone has seen him play 15 times across all competitions – it may seem like a lot, but that only equates to 761 minutes of football in total, with many of those appearances coming as a substitute.
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But on Wednesday night against Colchester in the Carabao Cup quarter-final, he was given a rare chance to start for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side. Whilst the Red Devils recorded a relatively straight-forward 3-0 victory over the ninth-placed League Two side, Mata himself didn’t exactly enjoy a night to remember. As per Sofascore, his 7.2 match rating was only better than Mason Greenwood in terms of his teammates who completed the full 90 minutes. And when looking at the underlying numbers it is easy to see why.
He managed no shots on target, no tackles, won just two of his five ground duels, and lost possession 14 times (only Anthony Martial and Andreas Pereira conceded it more). And after seeing his display, United fans flooded to Twitter to voice their thoughts on the midfielder.
Many fans of the Manchester side also brought up United starlet Angel Gomes, and questioned why Mata is starting over him.
At 31 years of age, Mata remains a vitally experienced option for the Red Devils, even if his performances may not be up to scratch. As United look to give more youngsters like Mason Greenwood their chance to shine, players like the Spaniard can help with the integration process and act as a role model for them to fully learn and develop. On-the-pitch displays may not necessarily be the be-all and end-all.
Meanwhile, Manchester United fans have a surprising reaction to reports this man could leave next summer.
