Spaniard was never in danger of leaving Manchester United, says Mourinho

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has lavished praise on Juan Mata and insists the Spaniard was never in danger of leaving the club at the start of the season.

Mata, 28, was widely expected to leave United last summer after Jose Mourinho was confirmed as Louis van Gaal’s replacement after their FA Cup final triumph in May.

Mourinho was behind Mata’s Chelsea exit to United in January 2015 but the Spain international has surprisingly developed into a key player under the Portuguese at Old Trafford this season.

United’s best performances have arguably come with Mata on the pitch and Mourinho has heaped praise on the pint-sized creator for adapting to his demands and insists Mata’s exit was never on the cards.

“When I came there people thought Mata was in trouble but I knew he wouldn’t be in trouble,” The Daily Mail quote Mourinho as saying. “One thing was the football I wanted my Chelsea to play and the other thing I want my Manchester United to play.

“Mata adapted to the football I want to play. I knew since the beginning he would be an important player. I think he feels that confidence in me, that confidence in the game we want to try to play. So he is happy. He is happy on the pitch and you can see it in the way he plays.”

Only Zlatan Ibrahimovic (20) has scored more goals for United in all competitions this season than Mata (9).

Furthermore, United are unbeaten in the 14 league matches Mata has started this season (64.3% win ratio), compared to a win ratio of just 36.4% when he hasn't featured from the off. Goals scored are also up from 1 to 1.93 per game with the No.8 in the starting XI.

For more stats on Juan Mata, click here to visit his WhoScored player page