Jose Mourinho has laid into Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata ahead of this weekend’s Premier League clash between the two clubs.
Mourinho managed Mata at Chelsea before the Spaniard was sold to United in January this year.
The Portuguese earned the nickname of the Special One when he referred himself by that moniker when first arriving at Chelsea a decade ago.
He said that Mata, while a very good player, is not at the elite level alongside the likes of Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Moourinho said: “For me Juan is a very good player and I look at him as a very good player.
“I don’t look at him as a special player because of certain circumstances.
“Because if I did there would have been 20, 30, 40 players who we sold or decided to leave.
“It happens. For me not a problem. He’s a very good player and very good players are dangerous.
“A few weeks ago, [Samuel] Eto’o the same. Lots of talk. He scored his goal. We did our job. Relation good. I look at Juan as a very good player, no problem.”
Mata has struggled this season at Old Trafford after the arrivals of Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao. But the comments by Mourinho could add more spice to what is always an intriguing clash between two Premier League forces.
Steve Osborne @SteveOsborne23
