Juan Mata has come out and dispelled rumours of a rift between him and Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho. The Portuguese boss had allowed the Spaniard to leave Chelsea and join the club’s Premier League rivals during his second stint at the club and that had reportedly been a bone of contention in their relationship after he took over at Old Trafford.
Mata was voted Player of the Year twice at Chelsea after he was signed from Valencia before Mourinho was hired by Roman Abramovich in 2013. He preferred to play Oscar in his role in midfield due to his willingness to track back and Mata was soon sold to the Red Devils for £37.1m in the January transfer window.
Fans expected Mata to be moved on after Mourinho took over from Dutch boss Louis van Gaal, who was sacked after United failed to qualify for the Champions League this season. A transfer out of the club seemed inevitable when he came on in the second half against Leicester City in the Community Shield only to be taken off soon after.
But Mata revealed on Thursday to Cope that there were no issues between him and the manager. United beat Ukrainian side Zorya Luhansk 1-0 in the Europa League to open their account in Group A and Mata had started the game and played 74 minutes before he was substituted.
“My relationship with Mourinho has never been bad,” Mata said. “Many lies were told about me and Mourinho when he arrived at the club this summer and it bothered me that every day I had to read and listen to rumours that weren't true. With him I'm fine.”
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Mata looking to win titles at United and earn spot in Spain squad
Social media has also been rife with speculation that Mata and Mourinho never saw eye-to-eye and that he was fighting for his place in the United squad. But Mata only laughed off such reports claiming they were all fabricated.
“You read a lot of comments on Facebook and Twitter,” Mata explained. “But they just make you laugh.
“I really want to lift titles at Manchester United,” he continued. “The Premier League is a trophy I have never won but I believe we can do it with this group.
Mata also touched upon the fact that he was disappointed to not be selected for the Spain squad that went to Euro 2016. The Spaniard had been a part of the squad that won the 2010 World Cup and also played a part in the Euro 2012 triumph but missed out on the summer tournament this year. And he hopes he can impress new manager Julen Lopetegui to earn a spot in the Furia Roja’s squad.
“It was disappointing not to go to the European Championships this summer,” he said. “But I'm happy to be back involved and Lopetegui is a good manager.”
