Jose Mourinho has given Juan Mata his blessing to sign for Manchester United after the Chelsea manager confirmed the Spanish international is free to go for a medical with the English champions.
After a summer of transfer misfires United are poised to smash their transfer record of £30.75million, which they paid for Bulgarian Dimitar Berbatov, to land the two-time Chelsea player of the year.
“He deserves this if he cannot be happy here. Even if it’s a rival club and even if it’s in England, you cannot stop people to be happy,” Mourinho told a press conference on Friday.
“I hope he will be happy at United.”
Should Mata complete the medical it will not all a bed of roses however given United are coming to terms with life post Sir Alex Ferguson, who retired last summer after 26 years in charge where he won 38 trophies.
Seven defeats in the Barclays Premier League have seen United slump to a lowly seventh place, six points off fourth spot which they sorely need if they want to play Champions League football next year.
To make matters worse, the Premier League champions were dumped out of the FA Cup earlier this month and crashed out of the League Cup in another dismal display at Old Trafford on Wednesday.
With all this in mind, there will undoubtedly be a huge amount of pressure for the 25-year-old Spanish international to revive United’s stuttering season.
Mata should be up for the challenge however, after falling out of favour with Mourinho since his return to Chelsea in the summer.
Mourinho has been critical of Mata this term, stating on several occasions that he does not possess the defensive abilities that the Portuguese demands from his players.
His first team appearances have been fleeting, with Mourinho preferring the young Brazilian Oscar.
Despite Mourinho’s insistence that Mata must adapt his game to warrant a place in the side, he has always praised the Spaniard’s attitude, particularly in training.
The rare transfer between these two rivals may have something to do with Mourinho’s interest in Wayne Rooney after the Chelsea boss made several attempts to buy the England man in the summer.
Rooney has yet to sign a new contract for the Reds, which has two years left to run, and United will be keen to tie him down to a long-term deal as the club begin their rebuilding process.
Image courtesy of Trans World Sport via YouTube, with thanks.
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