Rate Mata's United career

[lex talionis]

Another marquee signing that we failed. Make no mistake he was a marquee signing. Player of the year from our rivals. Yet we played him out of position to accommodate a player who was already past it.

We took a technical, skilful, intelligent, patient number 10 and played him as a winger in a team that was used to having fast wingers.

This. When Fergie appointed Moyes, he appointed a man who had no strategy or any kind of vision whatsoever for United. He bought a shitehouse footballer in Fellaini, whose skillset was antithetical to everything United was about, and he bought Mata and played him out of position. Succeeding managers bought random players without any coherent strategy as we rebuilt the squad over and over, somehow getting worse and worse until Watford destroyed us. Mata had a ringside seat to all of this and I’d love to know thoughts and what he saw over his eight wasted seasons with United.

 

[kthanksbye]

A lot of people being very harsh on Mata, we never had the setup, the manager, or the players for a player like Mata to thrive, during the Moyes and LvG days he did perform well. I said this in the Isco thread, we’ve never been able to play a system on which a #10 can thrive, it was a short period where players like Mata, Kagawa, Ozil, Oscar, Gotze were doing really well. We got on this bus late.

 

[anant]

6.5/10.

51G, 47A in 18,161 mins (200 90s) which translates to roughly a G+A in every 2nd game, despite how our performances were during this time is fantastic. And this does not include the role he played in buildup to a lot of goals.

But at the same time, even though he's been my favourite player, I'm sure there will be some regrets that he couldn't replicate his Chelsea form here

 

[mitchmouse]

Never did for us what he did for Chelsea (can say the same about Matic) but not sure how much of the blame he can take for that. Usually gave his all and certainly would have had more success in earlier United sides. I can see him going into coaching in a few years from now

 

[Keefy18]

4-5... bit part player when he should of been so much more.

 

[Jeppers7]

Why is there no poll? There’s polls on other players.

Whatever number ‘meh’ is. Mata was generally that when he played and was mostly a bit part player for most of his nine years. A club record signing as well.