Juan Mata – Hit or Miss

Juan Mata’s arrival at Manchester United in January sparked celebrations from United fans, buoyed by the arrival of the little Spaniard and the potential combinations he could forge with the strikers. Fast forward a year and his place in the side is far from guaranteed and he polarises opinion; so, does Mata still have a place at Old Trafford or are his days in Manchester numbered?

Mata’s roles under both David Moyes and Louis van Gaal have not been ideal for him, having played wide right for much of David Moyes’ tenure and having to be satisfied with a place on the bench under LvG following the signing of Angel Di Maria. Despite this, the midfielder has still managed to rack up and impressive 11 goals in his 30 premier league appearances since his transfer to United, a very good return for a creative midfielder. Add to that his 7 assists and it appears as though he has been a complete success and his place in the team should be in no doubt.

Source: manutd.com

However, these stats do not tell the whole story – Mata’s performances, especially this season, have been extremely hit and miss. His performance yesterday against Newcastle was sublime as he pulled the strings for the Red Devils going forward and oozed class in the process. But go back 3 weeks to his performance against Southampton and he had a very poor game, drifting in and out of the action and being bullied by the Saints’ midfield.

Even when he has come off the bench he has been extremely inconsistent, and has often not capitalised on opportunities that came his way due to injury or suspension of other players. Most notably during Rooney’s absence in October where the Spaniard failed to establish himself as a key player thanks to some lacklustre performances. It is this inconsistency that gives Van Gaal – and many United fans – a real dilemma when deciding on their opinion of Mata. Many believe that his moments of magic and the performances like the one against Newcastle are enough to warrant his place at the club, whilst others think that he needs to become more consistent in order to be a regular feature at Old Trafford.

Personally, I like Mata. I want him to succeed at Old Trafford but some of his performances this season have been very poor, and I now have my doubts over his future. Whilst his quality cannot be denied, he cannot carry on drifting in and out of form, and if he does I think he should be sold. There is no sense in Man. United keeping a player that cannot be relied upon to play well. You look at the likes of Rooney, Carrick and De Gea and they can be counted on to put in a good shift. Mata has not shown that during his time in Manchester and has to do so if he wants to remain a United player.

Source: manutd.com

The next 5 months or so are crucial for Mata; play well and he will earn the right to stay at Old Trafford and possibly even force Van Gaal to rethink his system in order to accommodate Juan in the starting XI. But play poorly and we could easily see the end of his spell in Manchester, a decision that I think would be highly justified.