Juan Mata has spent less than six months at Old Trafford but rumors suggest the diminutive playmaker could be heading to Barcelona.
Mata, 26, initially struggled to settle at United after his monster $65 million move from Chelsea during the January transfer window. However in his last eight games of the season Mata’s spark returned and his scored six goals for the Red Devils.
According to the Express newspaper in England, Mata could be on his way to the Nou Camp as new boss Luis Enrqiue looks to overhaul their squad after taking charge following Gerardo Martino stepping down at the end of this season with Barca finishing second in La Liga and being knocked out in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League to Atletico Madrid.
New United boss Louis van Gaal is said to be interested in letting Mata go, which will add extra cash to his own rebuild at United which is expected to be extensive this summer. Since van Gaal took charge United have already been linked with multiple attacking midfielders, such as Marco Reus, Toni Kroos, Arjen Robben and others, as it seems as though Mata’s time could be up after becoming David Moyes’ marquee signing during his ill-fated spell in the hotseat at Old Trafford.
Would Mata really be willing to leave United after less than half a season?
If he is going to find himself in another situation where he will be on the bench, like he was at Chelsea under Jose Mourinho, then Mata’s unlikely to stick around and play second fiddle to Wayne Rooney as the main playmaker in van Gaal’s side.
Barca’s core of midfield tricksters plus other attackers such as Alexis Sanchez, Pedro and Christian Tello need freshening up. Bringing Mata back to Spanish soccer could be a masterstroke from Barcelona and the Spaniards quick passing and moving would slot in superbly with the tiki-taka style employed across the board at Barca.
Whether this rumor has any legs remains to be seen but Mata certainly doesn’t want his talented backside to spend any more time on the bench of Premier League teams.