He wouldn't play as a traditional winger though, more of a playmaking kind like Sancho, Grealish or Tadic currently. His best games at United have been in this position with Valencia and Herrera supporting him.
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Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 12
- Goals
- 0
- Assists
- 0
- Yellow cards
- 0
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Dont start me on Herrera.... wish we still had him.
It's a shame, we should have played him as a #10 so much more of his United career.
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That would be Pogba for me, and by some distance.
Pogba, Maguire, Shaw, Wan Bissaka, Di Maria, Schneiderlin, Martial, Depay, Darmian, Mkhitaryan, Bailly, Lukaku, Alexis Sanchez, Van de Beek, Tellles and we'll see about Varane and Sancho.
Calling Mata "the most disappointing" while those players came after him is such an overstament, almost all of them came with the hopes of bringing a much needed world class level to their position and all of them failed.
Those players came after him and he was on the bench?
Mata was flown in by helicopter and has been a bit part player for almost his entire United career? Pogba Maguire Shaw martial Lukaku have all had more impact than Mata by virtue of the fact that all of them have been first 11 players for the most part of their United careers. I think you just had ridiculously low expectations of Mata, he was a club record signing. Did people honestly expect him to be here for 9 years mainly as a sub with one game of note.
I like Mata as a person, I like that type of player but he’s just been nothing
I love a Riquelme, Kaka, Veron etc type player nothing to do with pace. Everything to do with players actually playing really well and having an impact which Mata has largely failed to do and the reason why he’s been mainly a sub for 9 years. As for the bolded part....unless your taking the entire football pyramid into consideration, then frankly that’s ridiculous.
Lukaku was being marginalized (rightly so), by his second season. Mata was hardly a bit-part player during the LVG and Mourinho reigns. I agree that I expected more, but to say he’s been nothing is ridiculous is ridiculous - his goal to match ratio is not that much worse than Pogba’s.
Mata made 282 appearances for United, including six seasons where he made 32+ appearances.
Lukaku was here for two seasons in total.
The idea that the latter had more impact is bizzare.
10000%%%% didn't put a foot wrong most games except for old age.
Starts or appearances?
I’m no fan of Lukaku but he did more in his first season than Mata did in any.
Mata has never played in the same position as Pogba. Having a worse goal per game ratio than a player who has mainly played in a double pivot is not an endorsement.
Lukaku started 33 PL games in his first season, 22 in his second season (in which he was terrible).
Mata's top two seasons for starts in the PL were 34 and 27.
So immediately more PL starts than Lukaku within just two seasons, and then the other three seasons where he started over half our PL games on top of that. Plus his initial half-season where he was also first choice.
If only he were 2-3 years younger or had we appointed ETH a year go... He is the perfect player for ETH's system.
And who knows what Mata could’ve produced had he been played in his proper position and not wasted his first 2.5 seasons playing for stultifying managers such as Moyes and LVG.
To be fair I’ve looked back over Mata’s United season stats and he did play more than I remember. I’ll take back the Lukaku one. I would say though that in his first season Lukaku was a big player for us and I don’t think Mata has ever been that.
What do you think is Mata’s best position? He has primarily played as RW but not as an orthodox winger or AM.
His stats at United as AM are :-
played 98 goals 12 assists 15
As a RW :-
played 137 goals 30 assists 27
So my guess would be that nothing would be different. In fact if anything he’d have been worse than mediocre. Which is what he has been.
Mata is too much of a system player and doesn't have the qualities required to influence games that don't suit him. He is far too slow, slight and is very poor at protecting the ball. He is similar in stature to the likes of Silva (the OG City Silva) and Modric but he doesn't have the yard of pace or spacial awareness for his size not to be an issue.
At his peak he was fantastic in that Chelsea side but he hasn't been in a side that suits him since and whenever he has played his glaring weaknesses have been exposed time and time again. Give him time and space and he is still quality. Press him and harass him and he falls to pieces. Always has done for United.
Honestly, seems like one of the nicest dudes in football but should have been offloaded years ago.
At his peak he was fantastic in that Chelsea side but he hasn't been in a side that suits him since and whenever he has played his glaring weaknesses have been exposed time and time again. Give him time and space and he is still quality. Press him and harass him and he falls to pieces. Always has done for United.
Honestly, seems like one of the nicest dudes in football but should have been offloaded years ago.
Agreed, though actually should never have been signed. Part of the post Fergie chaos and the absolute mockery that was Moyes as MUFC manager, hos signing was a desperate effort to boost morale and performances but had no effect. Moyes and Woodward must go down as teh most inept pair in football history. He suited a particular Chelsea team but Mou already wanted him gone, for the same football reasons that he failed at United. With a strong midfield he could have done OK but he was been supported by the likes of Fellani and Fred over the years. How he is still here is testament to the joke the club has become.
If all our players had Matas professionalism and integrity then our club would be in a lot better place.
Isn't it fascinating how much leeway you can get with nice persona and bit of uncontroversial image .
I think he may start tonight - One go the likeable players, give him a game in front of the home fans for the last time
Nothing to do with him having a nice persona. Mata came to us in his peak and basically the club destroyed any chance he had of becoming an even better player by either playing him in the wrong position or by not playing him at all. All through it he remained professional and was always ready for selection even though we basically ruined his career. Players like Rashford, Martial, Pogba, Shaw, Lingard should take note on how to be a professional footballer instead of taking away credit from Mata and how he's conducted his United career.
Even to this day he's outplaying them all on the few chances he does get to play. Give me one of him over the lot of the others any day of the week.
A player who’s been around for all of the unprofessionalism we’ve seen but somehow he wasn’t involved in any of it.
He probably is a decent guy but he’s been here far too long to not be in some way complicit.
I think he would have been far more influential playing as an AM and had he been given a consistent run there, the way Bruno has been given, his influence (not to mention stats) would have grown accordingly. I just don't see how he went from being so good at Chelsea to being somewhat marginal at United. Granted, he needs to take some of the responsibility for that (I think his deferential personality hindered him at times,) but I think our coaches have done him no favours at all.
So according to you United ruined his Career and despite never being regular starter under any manager he saw it fitting to extend his Contract not once but twice with United ,he has been semi retired and basically coasting through when he could have easily played regularly at lower level but it seems he actually put money ahead of playing football just to add I see nothing wrong with that but spare me the BS of him being some sort of victim here and how Likes of Rashford , Martial , Pogba need to learn from him .
I think it's fair to say we have wasted his talent since he joined. Really should have been playing as CAM rather than RW.
He isn't the same player he was five years ago but when you see some of Bruno's performances this season we probably should have brought him into the team to give Bruno a few games off.
He isn't the same player he was five years ago but when you see some of Bruno's performances this season we probably should have brought him into the team to give Bruno a few games off.
Why wouldn't he sign his 2 contract extensions? We'd changed managers so why wouldn't he think he'd get more of a run out? He also took a 25% wage cut to stay on so maybe it's not all about the money??
His second extension was only for a year and there were a lot of rumours that he was to be given a role on the coaching staff so once again why wouldn't he think of his future?
If you think that Mata can be put into the same category as the other players mentioned then I really don't know what to say other than we obviously see football differently.
You may not like Pogba, Martial, Rashford or Shaw but Mata has had a similar career to Lingard and the other four have been far better, more important, influential than Mata. Give me four regular starters over a squad player any day.
What a waste of the money. If you add inflation, it is there with Pogba transfer.
What he did beside that one game at Anfield?
What he did beside that one game at Anfield?
Man Utd 3:0 Brentford
Most passes as a team we've made in a Premier League game all season... And it's not a coincidence.
Nice way to bow out at OT but if we're picking on form he should start next game as well.
Wherever he goes, I hope he's playing every week.
Wherever he goes, I hope he's playing every week.
Will miss him so much!
Why hasn't he played in the last 4 years?
The way we've wasted him not just the past 2 seasons but his entire career here sums up the past 10 years
My memory isn’t great but that’s harsh, for a start we bought a 10 and played him on the wing for most his time here. We totally under utilised him in his best position I think.
I fecking love this guy. Will be missed.
MOTM for me.
When he plays, you can actually see how much ahead he is of other players technically, in terms of vision and intelligence.
I would really really love to see him under ETH for one season, but if this was his last OT game, a brilliant way to go off
When he plays, you can actually see how much ahead he is of other players technically, in terms of vision and intelligence.
I would really really love to see him under ETH for one season, but if this was his last OT game, a brilliant way to go off
We have played him number 10 probably less than 30 times in 10 years too. Thrown on the wing for most of his peak.
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