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Manchester United, perched at the fifth spot on the Premier League table with 45 points to their name, have had a revival of sorts of late. After languishing midtable for most of the season, the Red Devils have displayed tenacity and ferociousness to be unbeaten in their last twelve games. Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had gone back to the drawingboard to restrategise after his side had been knocked around in the Premier League by other sides before this incredible run of form began.
One of United's most trusted players, Juan Mata, has been a part of this revival, and although he has started in just 18 games this season, his influence on the team has been significant. He has a total of three goals and five assists to his name this season, in which he has come off the bench 11 times to make a total of 29 appearances, but Mata's value at Old Trafford goes beyond numbers. Manager Solskjaer knows that and makes sure that he values him.
The attacking midfielder used to play in the wings at Chelsea before he made the switch to Old Trafford in the January transfer window of the 2013/14 season under then-United manager David Moyes. Moyes was doomed to fail due to his failure to find any kind of stability and strategic cohesion, but Mata has remained at the club and been a faithful servant to United for five and a half seasons now.
The 31-year-old has a total of 51 goals and 52 assists in the Premier League in an aggregate of 260 appearances, but apart from that, he is known to be an industrious footballer, someone whose work-rate does not diminish at any stage of the match. It is this quality of his that has endeared him to the United faithful.
The emergence of Jesse Lingard, Bruno Fernandes, Andreas Pereira and Daniel James, along with Solskjaer choosing to play Anthony Martial in the wings with Marcus Rashford as the sole striker, has meant that Mata has lost his place in the first eleven side by now. The only confirmed starts he made this season were in the Emirates FA Cup.
A shining light in Europe
In the UEFA Europa League, whenever manager Solskjaer has decided to give first-team regulars a rest, Mata has been called upon, and he has almost always responded to his manager's call in fine fashion. It is in this competition that he has scored two of his goals and bagged three of his assists. It has not mattered to him if he has been asked to fill in in the role of some other player, and it is this kind of selflessness that has made him so immensely likeable.
The Spaniard is known for his excellent game sense and switchover in play in which he moves across the wings with ease and grace. His awareness of where the ball is and where the opposing defenders are, has also allowed him to provide balls into wide and empty spaces for his teammates.
His technical prowess with the ball at his feet cannot be doubted, just as his passing ability cannot be taken lightly. This season, in all competitions combined, Mata has had a pass success rate of 87 per cent, which is extraordinary. Such a statistic speaks volumes about the kind of player he is and with what pin-point accuracy he can deliver passes.
Mata had never been at the forefront at Manchester United. Although he has played under four managers so far (David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer), he has always preferred to work hard behind closed doors and stay away from the limelight. He has let the others take the credit even as he performed unceasingly .
Manchester United fans, however, have not forgotten any of his contributions to the side and they still speak glowingly of his goal executed via a spectacular bicycle kick against Liverpool at Anfield in March 2015. He has, quite rightly, achieved a cult hero's status at Old Trafford.
Looking ahead
However, Mata is already 31 years old, and his contract runs out in 2021. Although there is an option of extending it for a further year, it remains to be seen if United choose to do so. There is also going to be some deliberation from the Spaniard's side. He will be 33 by then, and a definite call on his future will be required. Manager Solskjaer has repeatedly praised Mata in public, but the Spaniard's performance in the next season will determine United's decision.
Having won the Premier League Player of the Month award in October 2012, albeit with Chelsea, Mata has graced the Premier League with his left-footed class and easy style which comes only to those who work hard towards achieving it. He has a total of 18 goals for Chelsea and 33 goals for United in the Premier League, and he will be striving hard towards scoring a few more. However, that will not be his first priority as he has always believed in the 'team-first' philosophy.
It remains to be seen if he chooses to remain at Manchester United and call time on his career by playing out the rest of his days at Old Trafford or chooses to go for big money either in the United States of America or China like former Reds stars Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Marouane Fellaini did. There is no doubt as to what United's fans would like.
