When it Matas, he’s the Juan
JUAN Mata’s previous Wembley outing lasted just 27 minutes.
Three months after rescuing Manchester United in the FA Cup final, the substitute suffered the indignity of being hauled off.
Not even a friendly pat on the head from Rui Faria could placate the 28-year-old as he grimaced at boss Jose Mourinho.
Sweaty and red-faced, an uncharacteristically fiery Mata looked incredulous following the Portuguese’s explanation that he needed more height on the field.
The Spaniard’s replacement, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, is just an inch taller than Mata. Even with Mourinho’s obsession with the finer details, it seemed a flimsy excuse in a fairly meaningless game like the Community Shield.
Predictably, the rumour mill went into overdrive with 24 days of the summer transfer window left to go. Was history about to repeat itself?
In his final appearance for Chelsea, a tricky away trip to Southampton in 2014, Mata was hooked just seven minutes into the secondhalf.
Having previously found starts hard to come by under the Portuguese, Mata has dug in and played some of the best football of his career.
After losing the No.10 role to Henrikh Mkhitaryan, it would have been easy for Mata to sulk but it seems to have pushed him even more.
Only Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Paul Pogba and Ander Herrera have started more games for United this season and given how Mata does not fit the classic Mourinho template of a tall, athletic winger, that is no mean feat.
The 28-year-old’s virtuoso display against Saint-Etienne on Wednesday served as a timely reminder of his qualities - even before Mkhitaryan hobbled off.
Off the ball, Mata constantly harried and with it, he gave a masterclass in playmaking, including an exquisite assist for Mkhitaryan after just 16 minutes.
Mata deserves a rare outing at No.10 ahead of Marouane Fellaini tomorrow - and his Wembley experience makes it a no-brainer.
After grabbing a goal and two assists in Chelsea’s 5-1 drubbing of Tottenham in the 2012 FA Cup semi-final at Wembley, Mata was man of the match in the final, too.
Then there was that predator’s strike last season, which kickstarted United’s comeback against Crystal Palace.
Do not bet against him coming up with another on the big stage tomorrow.