JUAN MATA HAS insisted he is happy to play anywhere for Manchester United and remains glad he moved to the club in January.
The Spaniard moved to the Premier League champions from Chelsea for a club-record £37.1 million in the most recent transfer window, after falling down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge under Jose Mourinho.
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Mata has ended on the winning team just once in a United shirt, while he has also filled a number of roles in his short stint at Old Trafford.
David Moyes has already utilised Mata on either flank, as well as in behind a main striker, but the 25-year-old is only interested in where he can best help the team’s cause.
Speaking ahead of United departing for warm-weather training in the Middle East, Mata said: “Throughout my career I have played on the left, on the right and just behind the striker.
“I don’t mind playing anywhere the manager tells me. I am happy at the club, very happy.
“I am enjoying my football, I am getting minutes on the pitch, I am in a very, very big club and I hope we finish the season well.
“David De Gea has helped me settle, the same with Chicharito (Javier Hernandez), (Antonio) Valencia, and Rafael (da Silva), they all speak Spanish but everyone there has helped me.
“People like (Ryan) Giggs have been here for many years and there’s (Wayne) Rooney and (Robin) Van Persie, they have all treated me phenomenally well.”
Wouldn’t be surprised to see RvP leave in the summer. I still think he feels betrayed by Ferguson (ie giving him a guarantee that he wouldn’t leave for three years when he signed) and also the rumours of Moyes training regime not suiting him the way it did last year. I hope I’m wrong, but I don’t think he will.
Rooney will stay, and he’ll also get that obscene wage packet of a reported £300k, which based on his current form over the past two years, is an absolute disgrace, and I for one would be happy to let him walk. Rooney is a slob, who when he gets to his 30′s will decline faster than you can say four Big Mac’s please!!
Make no mistake about it, there will be a serious overhaul in the summer.
With regards to Mata, playing him on either flank is just not going to work, and if he keeps it up, he’s just flushed £37.1m down the pan, he has to play as a 10 behind the striker/s. What United need to do, is to drop the 4-4-2, or at least the version Moyes is playing, because it’s alienating his most creative player. a formation of 4-2-3-1 would be ideal, and with the current team, I’d play it with Rafael, Evans, Jones, Evra, Carrick, Fletcher, Januazaj, Mata, Rooney & RvP up top.
As a United fan, it irks me to see Liverpool doing well, but you can’t deny they’re playing some incredible football at the moment, certainly the best since 09′ season under Rafa, and this will be their best year to make a push for the title (top 4 is sewn up, bar a complete collapse of epic proportions!!)
Agree with everything, especially the formation your suggesting but i have to disagree with you about rooney being a slog, he’s one of the hardest working players in the league…
I agree on everything bar RvP leaving dublinlad… I’d say he feels very betrayed at the fact that fergie left, as it was one of the main reason’s he left arsenal, but I can’t see clubs queuing up to pay money for a guy who has proven this season that he has not gotten over his injury woes and is going to be thirty one next year… Plus he’s one of the few world class players left at united, can’t do with losing any of them!
@Declan – It’s just my opinion, I’d back that up by saying he always look leggy, and the fact that he’s been sent on warm weather training for the past 2 years in a row because he can’t recover from injuries quick. You look at Ronaldo, Giggs et al, they look after their bodies, Rooney doesn’t. You can be sure as hell, he was slugging down cans of booze and turkey sambos over Christmas, and as a professional athlete, you just can’t do that. Put simply, he’s a glorified larger lout at times.
@Ferg – Appreciate it! Constructive debate is always good, and, contrary to popular belief, we can be civilised at times. I genuinely hope you don’t do well, ever, but at times we have to be realistic :-)
@Nathan – Again, appreciate take on it, but I would say the same to you, that I’ve said to Declan.
@Leo – Don’t get me wrong, I hope he does stay, as he’s a sensational player, but his general attitude this season seems to me that he’s off in the summer. There’s talk of Cavani not happy at PSG, that he’s not happy with the formation they’re playing under Blanc, it’s too geared for Zlatan, and more often than not, he’s pushed out wide, you wonder would they be interested ?
Dublin lad your spot on. Personally I would let Rooney go, his form has been decent this season but he just isn’t the player he should be and certainly not worth 300k per week. Moyes does need a more European style formation, united have decent players up front when everybody is fit but they need 3/4 defenders. 100million would go a long way to sorting them out, not sure if moyes is the man to do it though.
Delusional? Do you honestly expect Rooney and RVP to stay at a club that won’t be in the champions league next year? Rooney may study for the sake of his greed but RVP will be gone.
I’m just going to keep leaving complaints on comments until the trolls are removed.This app used to be deadly for articles and a bit of banter but these ejits have ruined it something terrible
DublinLad was making sense…. & them spouted garbage in the last part of his comment. How do Liverpool have 4th sewn up? They are 3 points ahead of Tottenham with 12 games to play! I’m also ruling Tottenham in the race for the title. While yanited & Neverton fight for 6th. That last sentence makes me very very happy
Johnjobrady & his 10 accounts (89/90, Cicero, Barlow, Bazinga etc)
He’s nearly as bad as the very confused ’9times’. No ’9times’ today he must be trying to work out how to use a can opener!
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Wouldn’t be surprised to see RvP leave in the summer. I still think he feels betrayed by Ferguson (ie giving him a guarantee that he wouldn’t leave for three years when he signed) and also the rumours of Moyes training regime not suiting him the way it did last year. I hope I’m wrong, but I don’t think he will.
Rooney will stay, and he’ll also get that obscene wage packet of a reported £300k, which based on his current form over the past two years, is an absolute disgrace, and I for one would be happy to let him walk. Rooney is a slob, who when he gets to his 30′s will decline faster than you can say four Big Mac’s please!!
Make no mistake about it, there will be a serious overhaul in the summer.
With regards to Mata, playing him on either flank is just not going to work, and if he keeps it up, he’s just flushed £37.1m down the pan, he has to play as a 10 behind the striker/s. What United need to do, is to drop the 4-4-2, or at least the version Moyes is playing, because it’s alienating his most creative player. a formation of 4-2-3-1 would be ideal, and with the current team, I’d play it with Rafael, Evans, Jones, Evra, Carrick, Fletcher, Januazaj, Mata, Rooney & RvP up top.
As a United fan, it irks me to see Liverpool doing well, but you can’t deny they’re playing some incredible football at the moment, certainly the best since 09′ season under Rafa, and this will be their best year to make a push for the title (top 4 is sewn up, bar a complete collapse of epic proportions!!)
Rooney a slob are u serious ? One of the hardest working players in the game
As a Liverpool fan I genuinely appreciate a rational comment from a United fan, or any football fan really.
Good comment.
Agree with everything, especially the formation your suggesting but i have to disagree with you about rooney being a slog, he’s one of the hardest working players in the league…
Slob*
I agree on everything bar RvP leaving dublinlad… I’d say he feels very betrayed at the fact that fergie left, as it was one of the main reason’s he left arsenal, but I can’t see clubs queuing up to pay money for a guy who has proven this season that he has not gotten over his injury woes and is going to be thirty one next year… Plus he’s one of the few world class players left at united, can’t do with losing any of them!
@Declan – It’s just my opinion, I’d back that up by saying he always look leggy, and the fact that he’s been sent on warm weather training for the past 2 years in a row because he can’t recover from injuries quick. You look at Ronaldo, Giggs et al, they look after their bodies, Rooney doesn’t. You can be sure as hell, he was slugging down cans of booze and turkey sambos over Christmas, and as a professional athlete, you just can’t do that. Put simply, he’s a glorified larger lout at times.
@Ferg – Appreciate it! Constructive debate is always good, and, contrary to popular belief, we can be civilised at times. I genuinely hope you don’t do well, ever, but at times we have to be realistic :-)
@Nathan – Again, appreciate take on it, but I would say the same to you, that I’ve said to Declan.
@Leo – Don’t get me wrong, I hope he does stay, as he’s a sensational player, but his general attitude this season seems to me that he’s off in the summer. There’s talk of Cavani not happy at PSG, that he’s not happy with the formation they’re playing under Blanc, it’s too geared for Zlatan, and more often than not, he’s pushed out wide, you wonder would they be interested ?
As long as he gets to play for United, where he plays it doesn’t Mata!
Really ? We’re still going there with that one?
I thought he meant he wanted to play anywhere but united
Premier league, championship……. Anywhere really!
Dublin lad your spot on. Personally I would let Rooney go, his form has been decent this season but he just isn’t the player he should be and certainly not worth 300k per week. Moyes does need a more European style formation, united have decent players up front when everybody is fit but they need 3/4 defenders. 100million would go a long way to sorting them out, not sure if moyes is the man to do it though.
Jimmy you are delusional if you think Rooney & RVP are gonna leave this summer ..,
Delusional? Do you honestly expect Rooney and RVP to stay at a club that won’t be in the champions league next year? Rooney may study for the sake of his greed but RVP will be gone.
Replace “at” with “but” and I’d say that’s closer to how he currently feels.
Chelsea reject. He will probably be captain next season after the 2 strikers leave in the summer, him or Chris Smalling will be captain
Every United artical on here its the same people… No no no I am a Liverpool fan. I just spend all my time talking about Manchester United.
I’m just going to keep leaving complaints on comments until the trolls are removed.This app used to be deadly for articles and a bit of banter but these ejits have ruined it something terrible
DublinLad was making sense…. & them spouted garbage in the last part of his comment. How do Liverpool have 4th sewn up? They are 3 points ahead of Tottenham with 12 games to play! I’m also ruling Tottenham in the race for the title. While yanited & Neverton fight for 6th. That last sentence makes me very very happy
Johnjobrady & his 10 accounts (89/90, Cicero, Barlow, Bazinga etc)
He’s nearly as bad as the very confused ’9times’. No ’9times’ today he must be trying to work out how to use a can opener!
Liverpool force still out I see
Barry…. Nice court suit
Liverpool fans have every right to comment on all UTD stories cause they’re going to win the league now
And you’ll still be called 89/90 for bout the next 50 years mate cause pool will win nothing
With any luck Stephen
Yes yes everybody here is Barlow etc , now put the Goosebumps book down and turn off the light like a good lad it’s a school night after all
Come on city
I think you’ve hit the nail on the head there Barry
Possibly the worst response ever 89/90…. Congrats