5 things we learnt from Manchester United’s victory over Bournemouth

4) Mata proves his worth

When Jose Mourinho was announced as Manchester United manager, the first question on many people’s lips was what the future held for Juan Mata.

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Mata, incidentally, was offloaded by Mourinho during his Chelsea days. For the last 2 and a half seasons, he has tried to carve out a niche for himself in the red part of Manchester. Although a crowd favourite, he has almost always been played out of position and his performances have been inconsistent as a result.

The matter came to a fore in the Community Shield, last Sunday, when Mourinho thought it prudent to substitute Mata, who himself had come on as a sub.

An injury to Jesse Lingard gave Mata a start and he grabbed it with both hands. From the beginning, Mata was one of the liveliest players on the field. He made inroads in the opposition defence and cut in with good effect.

He deservedly scored the opener, albeit with some help from opposition defender, Francis. However, he had shown the initiative to get into position and Mourinho will certainly have few complaints with the Spaniard, if any. How, it remains to be seen whether Mata forces himself into his manger’s preferred XI.

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Sitam Chaki