Manchester United have been going good this season since the arrival of Dutch manager Louis van Gaal after a horrific last season under David Moyes. The Red Devils are currently placed fourth on the Premier League table and hope to secure a Champions League spot. One man who has already seen a lot change in his short span of just one year with United would be Spanish midfielder Juan Mata. The 26 year old made the move to Old Trafford from rivals Chelsea at the start of 2014. During his Chelsea days, the Spanish playmaker was voted as club player of year for two times.
Since his move to Manchester United, the midfielder has played a total of 36 games for them, scoring a tally of 11 goals. He has been part of both, a David Moyes side, which has been many ups and downs and also now is a part of the Van Gaal era, which is, in a way a re-building phase for the club. When asked how he felt about his move to the Manchester rivals from Stamford Bridge, Mata insisted that it was an exciting day.
In an interview, further talking about his arrival at the club, he said,
“Obviously you feel very lucky to come here in a transfer like that and I just wanted to give back all this confidence [shown in me] on the pitch. The welcome was unbelievable from everyone at the club – the staff, the players, the fans, everyone who works for United. Obviously the size of the club and reaction around the world to the transfer was incredible. It was a bit like ‘whoa, it’s a massive club’ “.
Despite this move, not approved by many of the Chelsea faithful, United still finished at 8th spot, though they had a quality midfielder in their ranks like Mata and more.