Will Mourinho ditch Juan Mata again?
When Alex Ferguson became Manchester United manager in 1986, Gordon Strachan said: “I never thought he’d follow me this far south”.
The pair had a parting of ways at Aberdeen, and despite the winger lasting another three years at Old Trafford, bad blood remained between Strachan and Ferguson for a number of years.
We’d imagine Juan Mata had a similar reaction to Strachan when he found out Jose Mourinho was about to become United manager, but we doubt he’ll be sticking around at Old Trafford for quite as long.
Mourinho sold the Spanish midfielder to United in January 2014, just a few months into his second spell in charge at Stamford Bridge. Despite being named the club’s player of the year in his previous two seasons, Mourinho couldn’t find a place for him in his side.
However, don’t feel too sorry for Mata, as Barcelona are reportedly offering him an escape route from Mourinho.
According to Mundo Deportivo, the 28 year old is an option for Barcelona, and twice came close to signing for the La Liga champions in the past.
The Spanish newspaper report that Mata realises his days are numbered at Old Trafford now that Mourinho is United manager, and is already preparing for life away from Manchester.
Mata, who scored the equaliser in United’s 2-1 FA Cup final victory over Crystal Palace, will be hoping for an upturn in his career next season after missing out on Spain’s squad for Euro 2016. It seems unlikely that it’ll be under Mourinho at Old Trafford though.
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