Jose Mourinho had returned to Chelsea six months previous and made an immediate statement by opting to play Oscar in the position Mata nailed down during his time at Chelsea, which led to him being awarded the club’s Player of the Year for two consecutive seasons. “Juan has to learn to play the way I want to play," said Mourinho in 2013.
Before making the switch to Manchester in the following January window, Mata struggled to secure a regular first-team place under Mourinho as he started just 11 of Chelsea's 22 Premier League matches.
In a letter to Chelsea fans in 2014, Mata wrote; “Before last summer, my intention was to stay here for a long time, and to keep winning trophies for Chelsea. However, as you all know, things changed after the pre-season,” in what was seen as a dig at Jose Mourinho.
Fast forward four years and Juan Mata is now struggling to hold down a regular place in Mourinho’s underperforming Manchester United team, having only started three of United’s nine Premier League games so far.
Speaking on Off The Ball’s football show on Monday night, former Scotland international Pat Nevin recalled the first time he spoke with Juan Mata.
“Juan had just won Player of the Year for a second time and they (Chelsea) asked me to present the award to him, and when we got chatting afterwards and he asked me if I had any advice, and I told him to get out,” said Nevin.
“Mata is not a Mourinho player. He’s not physical enough, he’s not pacey enough, and all the things that Jose has believed in and trusted in, Mata is the antithesis of it. He (Mourinho) will use him when he is needed, but will he ever be the central man that he goes to, absolutely not,” added Nevin.
Back in those early years at Chelsea, Mata's current plight would have been unthinkable, but that’s not to say his playing time has been completely starved, but is it possibe that Jose Mourinho just doesn’t trust him?
In 12 meetings against United's top-six rivals last season, Mata only started once - in the 2-1 win over Liverpool in March. That pattern has continued this season as Mata was left out of the match day squad to face Tottenham at Old Trafford in August.
Despite the lack of playing time, Mata signed a one-year contract extension in January and seems determined to prove his doubters wrong and show he can be a Mourinho player.
