Juan Mata insisted that he felt one former Manchester United star could have ‘dragged’ the players around him to a first Premier League title since 2013.
The 36-year-old former Manchester United player is currently a free agent after his spell with J1 League club Vissel Kobe came to an end in January.
Juan Mata first arrived at Old Trafford in 2014 and was one of two major signings by former United manager David Moyes before the Scot was axed.
The Spaniard, who was signed by United in a £37.1m deal from Chelsea, went on to lift a Europa League, an FA Cup and a League Cup during his spell at the club.
Mata scored 51 times and registered 43 assists in his 285 appearances for the Red Devils before his departure from Old Trafford in 2022.
Mata on delaying Man Utd exit
Juan Mata had a successful run in the first team and remained an important player for several former Manchester United managers, including Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The former Chelsea and United star watched as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had a successful spell as caretaker manager after replacing Jose Mourinho.
Solskjaer, whose appointment as United manager was made permanent in 2019, failed to lift any major silverware during his spell in the Old Trafford dugout.
However, the 51-year-old United legend did lead the club to a second-place finish in the Premier League table in the 2020-21 campaign.
United finished 12 points behind Manchester City in the title race in the 2020-21 season, but it was the Red Devils’ best finish since Jose Mourinho’s spell.
Speaking to FourFourTwo magazine, Mata admitted that he turned down the opportunity to leave Old Trafford in the hopes of winning a Premier League title.
“After so many years at the club, it would have hurt me to leave if United then won the Premier League,” he said.
“I didn’t want to miss that moment. I dreamed of celebrating a league title at Old Trafford.”
Mata talks up Man Utd legend
After missing out on the Premier League title, Solskjaer received a massive boost after United re-signed club legend Cristiano Ronaldo from Juventus in 2021.
Cristiano Ronaldo made an impressive impact in his first season back at Old Trafford, with the United legend scoring 24 times in 38 appearances across all competitions.
However, Solskjaer’s reign at United came to an end in the 2021-22 season and the Red Devils finished the campaign in sixth place in the league table.
Mata has now admitted that he felt Ronaldo could have singlehandedly dragged United to a Premier League title due to the “high standards” that he set.
“I thought we could win the Premier League again. He had such high standards that he could drag the rest with him,” he said.
“I always thought that when it came to the 80th minute of a game, the ball had to go to him to win. He always appeared in decisive moments.
“However, circumstances around him prevented him from getting more quality minutes in his second season.
“I connected with Cristiano, during many conversations. He’s a much closer person than people imagine.”