Juan Mata questions Jose Mourinho's decision to sell him, praises Louis van Gaal's methods

Juan Mata was sold to Manchester United after Jose Mourinho took over at Chelsea

Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata has come out and questioned Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho’s decision to sell him after he returned to Stamford Bridge in an interview with The Times. The two-time Chelsea Player of the Year was used sparingly after the Portuguese took over the reins for his second stint with the Blues before he was sold in the January transfer window in 2014 for a fee of £37m to the Red Devils.

Mourinho didn’t see Mata as a midfielder who fit into his tactics or style of play and preferred to use Oscar in the hole behind the striker instead of the Spaniard. Mourinho explicitly said in the press that Oscar was a better fit in his system and that Mata had to step up his game if he wanted to play.

Mata had scored 32 goals and grabbed 48 assists in all competitions in two seasons before Mourinho’s arrival. But in the 2013/14 season, Mata failed to score in the league for Chelsea and had only a handful of assists to his name.

By then Mata had had enough and he moved to Old Trafford for a then-record transfer fee. Mata settled in quickly with the Red Devils and has now become one of the first names on Louis van Gaal’s team sheet.

“It is one thing to play with Ramires and Oscar closing down opponents on each side, and Mata as a No10 behind a striker with his clever assists, clever passes and fantastic actions because he has great talent.

“But it is another thing to adapt to the way we want to play. In this moment, Oscar is my no.10 and, if anyone tells me Oscar has not been Chelsea's best player this season, I'd have to disagree. I have to prove to the fans that I am good.

“Now [Mata] must do the same.” – Mourinho

I’ve scored as many goals at Manchester United but in 30 games less: Mata

When questioned about Mourinho’s comments and the fact that he was labeled a “”luxury player”, Mata responded with a thinly veiled jibe at his former boss.

“If a luxury player is a player who scores and assists and has good stats, then I'm happy to be a luxury player,” Mata said.

Mourinho didn’t see Mata as his ideal no.10 player in his system

“I want luxury players in my team. I like creative players and players who do different things. It's easy to say certain players are luxuries, especially when you've lost a game.

“When you lose a certain kind of player – the creative players always get the blame. I've scored as many goals for Manchester United in the Premier League as for Chelsea, but in something like 30 games less,” Mata explained.

“In terms of scoring and assisting and I'm quite happy with the stats, and stats don't lie. They are facts.”

Mata praises Van Gaal for his methods

On the other hand, Mata was full of praise for his current manager Louis van Gaal. Although the Dutchman had dropped him in games during the first half of last season, he quickly adapted to Van Gaal’s philosophy and has found a permanent spot on the right.

Mata is currently the joint-top scorer at United this season alongside new signing Anthony Martial with three goals. And he was quick to point out how Van Gaal gets the best out of players in training.

Mata values Van Gaal’s honesty

“I really value his (Van Gaal) honesty. When someone does something in training that he really likes, he goes over to hug and kiss them - he really does it,” Mata said.

“Or he says in front of everyone: 'You are the best in training, I'm really proud of how you played,' to set a a good example to others. Van Gaal is how you see him in the press conferences, he's like that with us too. He's honest and straightforward,” Mata revealed.

“He believes in his style of training and way of preparing for games. He's won trophies everywhere he's been and hopefully this season now we know him better we'll win something too.”