Wayne Rooney began his three match ban with overseeing his club beat his ex-club by 2 goals to 1. There was an air of skepticism around Old Trafford about how will they manage without their captain.
Manchester United has always prided itself in having attacking riches. Right from the days of the ‘Holy Trinity’ to the latest Rooney, Mata, Di Maria, RvP and Falcao combo. Rooney was directly replaced by Juan Mata, who chipped in with an assist in his return to starting line up.
Juan Mata is considered to be one of the best attacking midfielders in Europe. He would walk into any team if not for someone like Wayne Rooney to be in the same team.
The Spaniard is known for his passing and creativity but his lack of work rate and pace are his prime drawbacks which saw him benched at Stamford Bridge last season
The cons of Mata are pros of Wayne Rooney. Relentless in hunting down the holding midfielder and always has that burst of pace to haunt the opposition on the break. Van Gaal prefers a more robust no 10 than a static one. As the Dutchman likes to have loads of ball and always likes to hit on the counter at every possible instant.
Mata does bring goals from midfield but so does Rooney. However in precarious situations like the present, Manchester United can surely cope up without their talisman captain. But not for longer and consistent periods.
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