Like Jonesy, Smalling and Youngy.Look, when we bought him from Chelsea, he was one of the best in the league, and has been far from a flop at UTD, he's in the twilight of his career , he's been no problem to the club top pro, and has put in very very good performances for the club, a flop was D Maria, shit house player, bad buy, bad attitude! Mata has been at the club in a turbulent time, had he been here when SAF was we would be saying is he a legend.
All true. Frustration has been not moving him on.But you could pretty much copy and paste that for every high-profile transfer post-Fergie: Mata; Di Maria; Falcao (not a transfer but still); Depay; Mhkitaryen; Pogba (to a certain extent); Sanchez; Fred (although recent signs are encouraging.) When that consistently happens, just maybe the fault does not lie solely with the player.
He might have had better players around him at Chelsea.There must be a reason why he was so successful at Chelsea. If the condition was not the same then he may not be able to to produce his form at Chelsea.
For sure he is a top bloke and a model professional.
Read this thread and you might a number of people saying that. As you said, I think he's not been given the ideal platform on which to succeed by his managers over the last few years. My only big complaint about his playing style is that he can be overly deferential at times - too quick to recycle possession, when sometime you wish he would take the player on or have a go from distance. In a strange way, that was was perfect for what LVG wanted, but I think it blunted Mata's confidence. Anyway, I love the guy and really can't see how he can be seen as a flop.He's not been a flop at all.
We signed him for Moyes when Moyes didn't even know how to use him or what position to play him in. Then two years later we hire the manager who was literally the same person who sold him to us due to seeing him as a misfit.
For someone who was signed under such stupid circumstances and who's been given a pretty shitty hand while here, he's done pretty well. He's played important parts in winning us trophies. Memorable moments like the goal against Juve, goals at Anfield. Generally made himself an important player under both LVG and Mourinho.
I do think he's been off the ball for a long while now but if I was asked if I was glad we signed him it'd be a fairly easy yes. I mean for all the terrible signings we've made surely not many people go around thinking "if only we'd not signed Mata"
That Chelsea was pretty underwhelming, notwithstanding its bizarre Champion's League triumph.He might have had better players around him at Chelsea.
Juanfield aside, how many outstanding performances have we actually had from him? He's been pretty good a fair few times but has often been completely underwhelming. Last year or so he's been pretty much pointless.Depends on your definition of flop I suppose, for me someone who has been around for that long and had many good games for us can't be described as a flop.
/threadHe’s been an important part of several trophy wins, been a model pro and a good technical footballer.
If you have the memory of a goldfish, then yeah, he’s a flop.
Agreed.He’s been an important part of several trophy wins, been a model pro and a good technical footballer.
If you have the memory of a goldfish, then yeah, he’s a flop.
He's a 10, not a midfielder. I would say Mata has been the ultimate 6/10 signing. I've said why I think that further up.He has been good - at times very good, at times average. He hasn't been as good as I hoped - but you can't call a midfielder with 33 goals in 169 games a flop. I would say he has been a 6.5/10 - maybe 7 if you add to the fact that he probably has a very positive influence on the squad. I have yet to hear anyone say one bad word about Mata
Yeh. It's equal to 80-100m in todays transfer. If Maguire has a career like Mata at United; just play here and there, and never nails that starting XI; wouldn't he be a flop?Not good enough easily dispossessed too slow. Hasnt brought anything to the table. 37 million wasted imo
He's definitely not a success, the man isn't even first teamerFeels like Mata is squarely in that area between flop and success. It's exactly the same as Berbatov.
Now if you're looking for flops... Depay, Schneiderlin, Falcao, Di Maria, Sanchez.