Mata is the Juan for United!

Having played 7 games, Manchester United sit at the top of the premier league table with 16 points. Red devil fans certainly have a lot to shout about, the revelation of Anthony Martial, the re-signing of David De Gea and certainly the form of fellow Spaniard Juan Mata. The former Chelsea man has certainly been one of United stars so far this season, scoring 3 goals and managing 3 assists from the right wing.

Magic Mata: The Spaniard scored his first of the season against Swansea City

Ever since signing for David Moyes's United back in 2013/14 in the January from Jose Mourinho for an estimated £37.1 million, Mata never really looked like he was absolutely on top of his game, as he was during his Stamford Bridge days. Under Moyes Mata was played out on the left and out on the right and hardly got a sniff to play in his favoured number ten role. Playing with a struggling team was hard on the Spaniard, who's abilities were thought to be stifled, playing the way Moyes wanted him to.

At the end of a dismal 2013/14 season, United finished 7th in the league table, with Mata ending the season with a mere 6 goals and 4 assists to his name, hardly the type of form that had earned him consecutive player of the season awards at Chelsea, to be fair to the Spaniard though, having arrived in January, he displayed an impressive goal return in his first few months with the club.

Under Louis Van Gaal though, it has certainly been a different story for the midfield Maestro. The Dutchman has seemingly now turned Juan Mata into a right winger, with the tendency to cut inside onto his wand of a left foot. This transformation of position has certainly paid dividends for the Red devils. 

"I think Juan Mata is always one of my better players" Van Gaal told press towards the end of last season. "Now he is playing as a false right winger and the combination with Herrera and Valencia gives him more opportunities" Juan Mata's form in the 2014/15 was very much highlighted during their tough six game run, which would end up shaping the top 4. United had to face the likes of Liverpool, Man City and Chelsea all in quick succession. Juan Mata certainly stood up to the test and was certainly counted.

Derby Delight: Juan Mata won the game vs Liverpool in spectacular fashion

Mata went onto score in both the derby games against rivals City and Liverpool, including a tremendous scissor kick at Anfield to seal the win over the scousers. Some impressive stats were to follow from the game on Merseyside as well, it was revealed that Juan Mata actually covered more ground per minute than any of his team mates in these games. A statistic such as this might make Jose Mourinho go a bit red in the face, as his main issue with Juan Mata at Chelsea was largely that he didn't run as much as he needed him to. Oops.

The Spaniard also formed a very fluent combination with fellow Hispanics Antonio Valencia and Ander Herrera on the right side. They proved to give many teams a problem, most notably Liverpool. Going back to the matter of statistics, it was revealed that last season Mata was very efficient in providing opportunities for his team mates when going forward. In the final third, Mata found a team mate with 82.2% of his passes, better than the rest of the United side.

Juan Mata went onto end the season as United's joint second top scorer, with 10 goals, alongside now ex-red Robin Van Persie and just behind captain Wayne Rooney who scored 14 goals.

'A Barca style of play': United played 44 passes in succession for Mata's goal against Southampton

With the new season upon us like the shining sun, Juan Mata has also shone brightly so far. Scoring against Swansea, Southampton and Sunderland and assisting 3 more. His style of play has been identified as roaming in between the lines between the opposition defence and midfield. Coming in from the right wing onto his left foot has proved effective and he has provided an excellent outlet for his team mates. His ability to switch play quickly, put chances on a plate, as he did for Memphis against Sunderland and overall vision, makes him a very dangerous midfielder going forward, he's certainly been one of the form men in the league so far.

Perhaps Mata's most impressive goal this season came at Southampton. In this goal, Louis Van Gaal's philosophy was demonstrated perfectly. Possession with purpose. The red devils played a 44 pass consecutive piece of play which resulted with Juan putting the ball in the back of the net himself. In an interview with the independent, Mata talked of his joy of finishing the move. "It wasn't just possession for possessions sake, it was a great example of how to manage the situation when you are winning away"

Manchester United have a tough 3 match league run now, which see's them travel to the Emirates and Goodison park for what are sure to be tough away games against Arsenal and Everton. Following this, Juan Mata and co. will host Manchester City at Old Trafford. Can Mata continue his excellent form and be the difference? United fans alike will certainly hope so.

Fergie: I only had 4 world class players

Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed that throughout his 26 year reign of the red devils, he only ever managed 4 world class players. The news comes just after his new book 'leading' was released, in which he goes into detail largely about his years with the red devils and how he became so successful with them.

Four for Fergie: The Scot claims only four of the players he's managed were world class

You'd be called a liar if you thought that Fergie would only say he's managed four world class stars, fans and maybe even players must be absolutely astounded by the latest statement from the club great. "I don't mean to demean or criticise any of the great or very good footballers who played for me during my 26 year career at United" The scot began "But for me there were only four players who were world class: Cantona, Giggs, Ronaldo and Scholes"

Sir Alex Ferguson has always been one to come out with statements of shock, but many feel this could be a step too far. The Schmeicels, the Beckhams, the Nevilles etc didn't even get in, some of these players were the best of their generation, but then again who are we to question Fergie? The man has defied the odds time after time, he's beaten the best and been the best. His trophy laden managerial career is simply unmatched in the world of football, especially with the longevity of 26 years and 38 honours in total.

All is revealed however in his new book 'leading' which we will be getting a copy of very soon, however in recent interviews, Ferguson was given chance to explain his views on his 'Fantastic Four'. "Ryan and Scholes were just fantastic players and the thing about those two was the longevity" the former Aberdeen man told the media "Are there any players who have played right through the whole of the Premier league and performed at the top level they have? None, Absolutely none"

Le Magnifique: King Cantona is still sang about to this day

When Asked about Eric Cantona: "It was just his mere presence and his ability to make and score goals" Fergie went onto describe Cristiano Ronaldo as the "Ornament on top of the Christmas tree" of the four and described him as a "Genius". The question remains however, well multiple questions about so many different players who served the scot proudly down the years at Old Trafford, surely there had to be more who fitted into this top bracket?

We take Roy Keane for example. Ofcourse it is well known about the mutual hatred and utter dislike both men now have for eachother, but in those years from 1997 to 2001 of Keane's Captaincy, he was Fergusons midfield general and could arguably boss and dictate the whole game himself. A great example being how he pulled his United side through in the Champions league semi final away to Juventus, scoring an equaliser and putting in a stand out performance, despite being banned for the final. Does this not merit a mention in Fergies top bracket?

What about David Beckham? This man was unquestionably the best free-kick taker of his generation. His Unique ability to bend a football seemingly any which way from a deadball situation was truly remarkable, hence the expression to "Bend it Like Beckham". The England Midfielder was sold by United to Real Madrid to become part of their Galactico setup, but does this still not get into Fergies very top top players list?

Despite the revelations however, David Beckham has expressed his content with the managers comments, even if he was left out of the list of four. "I tend to agree with the manager, there's certain players you can call world-class, thankfully i played with many of them" 

What About Wayne? The now Manchester United Skipper has scored 234 goals in 487 games for United

What about Wayne? The current reds skipper has surely proved himself to be one of the leagues deadliest ever strikers and has now become Englands all time leading scorer, but even he did not make Fergusons final four. Why? Why is such a decorated player, with his goals record not be included in a list of world class players? 234 goals in 487 games ( essentially a goal every two games one average) and having scored in World cups, Euro championships and Champions league finals surely merits a mention at Fergusons top table. 

Notable mentions also to some outstanding players go to Peter Schmeichel, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Dennis Irwin, Edwin Van Der Sar, Partice Evra, Gary Neville and Robin Van Persie could also have very strong cases to warrant a last accolade from the greatest manager of all time. These players were undoubtedly United Legends and have forever left their mark on the club. As for Sir Alex Ferguson, the legendary fiery Scotsman who turned Manchester United into the greatest club in the world should not be questioned, but thanked, for all he has done for football and Manchester United, despite his sometimes controversial opinions.

Rampant reds sink the scousers!

Manchester United recorded yet another victory against Liverpool under Louis Van Gaal. The encounter at Old Trafford ended in a 3-1 victory to the Manchester side, leaving reds fans purring and leaving Liverpool in tatters. Here we've got a quick recap of the events.

Front man Fellaini: The Belgian was trusted to lead the line for the red devils

With captain Wayne Rooney injured, Marouanne Fellaini was picked by Van Gaal to play as the sole striker, with Ander Herrera supporting him from the number 10. role. Fellow Spaniard Juan Mata played on the right, with Carrick in the centre alongside Schweinsteiger in front of an unchanged back four, with Memphis playing wide left, who was the only real source of pace for United.

 The first half however did not live up to the build up, it was often quite pace-less and slow, with neither teams really looking likely to penetrate. A game of possession really, which just isn't be-fitting of one of the biggest Derby games in world football. Both sides went in at half time with the score 0-0. Fellaini had looked quite ineffective, while also missing an early chance, which culminated from a poor throw from Simon Mignolet.

Brilliant Blind: The Centrebacks superb strike gave United the lead

 Early in the second half, the deadlock was broken. A free kick, won by substitute Young was taken by Juan Mata, who instead of crossing from the left side, cut the ball back across on the edge of the box for Daley Blind to run onto and curl home from 18 yards. A wonderfully worked move by United, with Liverpool all at sea.

From this point, the game seemed to liven up, with Ashley Young adding some much needed pace, there seemed a lot more urgency in the play now. At the other end of the pitch, newly signed David De Gea had a few stops to make, the Spaniard received a warm welcome from the Old Trafford support after recently signing a new four year deal with the reds.

Powered Pen: Herrera smashed home his spot kick to make it 2-0

United seemed to be in control leading up to the 70th minute when an opportunity presented itself to go 2-0 ahead. A super ball was fizzed into Ander Herrera by Carrick into the box and the United playmaker was brought down by Liverpool defender Gomez. Penalty given. With Juan Mata off the pitch, Herrera stepped up and didn't fail his team, he powered home his penalty to make it 2-0.

Jubilation swarmed round Old Trafford as the home side remained in a comfortable position. Liverpool continued to create however and their efforts were rewarded in the 84th minute with an absolute top drawer acrobatic finish from Cristian Benteke. He produced an overhead scissor kick from a deflected cross, giving De Gea no chance.

Bentekkerz: Benteke scored a showstopping overhead kick

Suddenly the atmosphere around Old Trafford had changed, the fans were nervous. They didnt want a good display to be tarnished by a Liverpool equaliser or even worse a winner. However United fans need not worry, as they had a player in their ranks who was just about to announce himself to them in incredible fashion.

Magnifique Martial: The next Henry? The first Martial!

New signing Anthony Martial was subbed on to great effect during the second half. In the 86th minute the Frenchman picked up the ball on the left wing, took on Skrtel and Lovren before he cut through the liverpool defence. He single handedly tricked his way into the box and slotted home with the composure of Henry himself to put the game to bed and announce himself to the world. Magnifique. Old Trafford's roofs were nearly blown off by the crowd who went wild after seeing such a brilliant goal from their New man. The game finished 3-1.

A jubilant United boss also commented on his new signings superb goal: "When you make a goal like Athony you cannot wish for more". The Dutchman was reasonably pleased with his teams performance, however he still hinted that there is room for improvement despite the emphatic win: "We played better in the first half, we had far more control, but we didn't create much, that is why i changed Memphis, to improve that last pass".

Manchester United play on Tuesday the 15th now, away to PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League.

David De Gea 'Happy' at Man Utd

Spanish international and Manchester United goal keeper David De Gea has been reported as saying he is happy at Old Trafford, despite missing out on a deadline day move to Real Madrid in quite peculiar circumstances. The former United number one was speaking to the press last night after Spains victory over Macedonia in the European qualifiers, with fellow reds team mate Juan Mata scoring the winner.

Safe hands: De Gea has become one of the worlds finest goalkeepers.

He told reporters last night upon playing against Macedonia: "I really wanted to play, now i have to keep working and see if i have some good fortune at my club as well". De Gea played his first game of the season in the 1-0 win over Macedonia after being dropped by Louis Van Gaal at Manchester United amid increasing reports that the player was bound for Real Madrid.

Having lost his NO.1 spot with the red devils, it will be interesting to see whether Van Gaal will recall De Gea, or whether he will keep him out of the side and try to prepare for life without him. It is widely thought that next year Real Madrid will swoop in and get their man for free after his contract runs out, that is, if he doesn't sign another one with the Manchester side.

However there are small hints that the Spaniard may still be in Van Gaal's plans. His inclusion in United's Champions League squad suggests this, but perhaps he may just be 'making up the numbers'. Louis Van Gaal has a reputation for being stubborn and dropping some of the world's best players, we saw a prime example of this last season with Angel Di Maria.

Despite this however, De Gea seemed to be in good spirits after his national sides victory. "My future will be the same as now: remain calm, keep working and improving" he went onto say: "In concrete terms, to enjoy my football, I am happy." While De Gea comes across as being somewhat motivated and happy to be at Manchester United for the time being, he may face stiff competition in between the sticks. Argentina International Sergio Romero hasn't really put a foot wrong since his debut for the reds, 3  clean sheets from 4 games in the Premier league isn't a bad start, despite a disappointing performance against Swansea City. 

Slipping Sergio: Romero was partly at fault in Uniteds loss in Wales

Having come under criticism in Uniteds away defeat to Swansea City, Sergio Romero may not have a secured starting spot on Saturdays crunch game against arch rivals Liverpool. Poised for a return, David De Gea may get the nod over the Argentine as it is widely thought that De Gea has the more quality of the two and this point is hard to argue with, considering his past two seasons for United in which he has been exceptional in goal. 

Sergio Romero though has told the media in Argentina that he will fight for his NO.1 spot against De Gea and won't give it up easily. "Playing for United is a dream and if God let's me, this dream will continue" In terms of who will be picked this weekend, we feel Sergio Romero may be the favourite, taking into account Van Gaal's philosophy on putting faith in the players that have played well for him, perhaps it will be quite a few weeks before De Gea is fully re-integrated back into first team action. If Romero does begin to put in stand out performances however, especially against the old enemy Liverpool this Saturday, he may make De Gea's wait to return to the first team quite a long wait indeed.

Chris Smalling: From Maidstone to Manchester

Chris Smalling has turned out to be something of a revelation in a Manchester United shirt, the England centre half has really come into his own, under the management of Louis Van Gaal and is turning into a very promising central defender. Here we look at his journey from non-league side Maidstone to European heavy weights Manchester United.

Familiar face? Smalling's early footballing years were spent with non league side Maidstone United F.C.

Following a short spell within Millwalls academy ranks, Smalling joined the youth setup with Maidstone United, which would see him go on to becoming a vital cog in the Kent sides backline. Playing in the FA trophy and the Isthmian league, Chris Smalling established himself quickly and impressed greatly, however his number of appearances for Maidstone United were limited, due to injury and International duty ( Smalling couldn't sign a contract with Maidstone as it would have hindered his England schoolboy career).

Back in 2011, Maidstone United club secretary Darren Lovell was interviewed about Chris's development amongst the youth sides. "Chris was always a player that stood out, both as a player and for his big hairstyle" he went onto say "Chris was a tall and fluid player, good in the air, unhurried in possession and had a very good touch on the ball".

It was quite apparent when he made his senior debut for the club that Chris was meant for better things. He seemed to cope with the rugged and fast paced, gritty nature of the Isthmian league excellently, being able to deal with "Kick and lump it up old fashioned centre forwards" very well for such a young player. His appearances for Maidstone were extremely limited however due to the interruptions caused by England training, trials and international games at schoolboy level. Playing at Schoolboy level, meant that Chris couldn't sign a contract with Maidstone and therefore they wouldn't get a fee if the player was signed by another side, which he was soon after.

Smalling ( left ) signed for Premier league side Fulham

After a brief stint with Middlesborough, for whom he signed for in May 2008, where he had his contract terminated after just a month due to homesickness, he signed for Premier league side Fulham. Upon his arrival he was made Captain of Fulham's development squad and in May 2009 he made his profesional debut for the side in a 2-0 home loss to Everton on the final day of the 2008-2009 premier league season. His time with the Londoners would see young Smalling help them to reach the 2010 Europa league final. 

In the January of 2010 he signed a pre-contract agreement with giants Manchester United and the transfer officially went through on June the 1st of the same year. Since his joining Manchester United back in 2010, over the past 5 years Chris Smalling has turned himself into a quality Premier league centre half. There were added pressures on him the more he was played in the first team side, with many pundits and fans believing him to be a successor to possibly Nemanja Vidic or Rio Ferdinand at the heart of the United defence. Injuries and managerial decisions would see the centre halves development put on hold at times however, with Sir Alex Ferguson deploying him as a right back, preferring other players such as Phil Jones and Johnny Evans to fill in, in the centre of the back four.

During a 3-1 home win against Chelsea, Smalling scored his first premier league goal, rising highest from a set piece to nod home, as well as an impressive display at the start of the 2011/12 season, scoring against neighbours City in the community shield, to spark a United fightback at Wembley, which saw them run out 3-2 winners on the day. Unfortunately for Chris Smalling at the end of the season, he suffered an Injury which would ensure that he missed out on Englands Euro 2012 campaign.

Defensive Duo: Ferdinand and Vidic were formidable

In terms of role models, Chris Smalling didn't have far to look. The young England prospect shared a dressing room and a training pitch with at that time, one of the worlds best defensive partnerships: Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic. The two veterans had served the red devils well, leading them to 3 champions league finals in 4 years from 2008 to 2011. However the two giants wouldn't last forever and it would seem that the battons would be passed down to Chris Smalling and team mate Phil Jones to be long term successors to the two United stalwarts.

His season with David Moyes proved to be a quiet one at best, scoring in a 5-0 away Champions league win against Bayern Leverkusen being the only highlight of an otherwise dismal season and one to forget for the red devils. Under Louis Van Gaal however, Smalling would finally be the number one choice centre back along with team mates Phil Jones and Johnny Evans after the departures of senior defensive figures such as Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra.

Lucky Louis: Van Gaal seems to have unearthed a gem in Chris Smalling

After a poor start under the dutchmans reign, Chris Smalling began to show signs of Maturation and overall improvement. Having to play in what some would say a "complicated" style of play in the 3-5-2 that LVG deployed at the start of the 2014/15 season may have hindered his improvement slightly due to the transition needed to play in a back three. Smallings bad fortune didn't end their either as he was sent off in the first half of the early Manchester Derby after recieving a second yellow for a poor foul on James Milner. United lost the game 1-0. 

This incident caused Van Gaal to condem Smallings actions, calling his second yellow card 'stupid'. 

"As a player you have to control your aggression" he went onto say "You cannot do what he has done with the second one (yellow card) that is not very smart".

Smalling was back in action in a 2-1 away win against Arsenal shortly after, he scored his first goal of the season against Hull City on November 29th, aswell as shortly after scoring his first ever career brace, coming off the bench to score two quick goals against Burnley, a premier league record for the fastest time ever that a substitute has scored two goals. Since then Chris Smalling was never really out of the first team line up and was always in around it. He became a regular and a consistency started to build for him, he played in crunch matches against Tottenham and against Liverpool, as well as against Manchester City in which he scored the fourth goal in a 4-2 derby win to earn the ultimate redemption for his previous red card.

His performances were rewarded by Louis Van Gaal when he gave him the accolade of the captains armband in a 1-1 draw against Arsenal at home, due to injuries to Captain Wayne Rooney and Vice Captain Michael Carrick. "I believe he has been a leader of our defence" were the dutchman's words upon being asked to explain his Captaincy decision.

Consistent Chris: Smalling has been impressive so far this season

"He just wants to defend, take players out the way, pushing players out the way" said Rio Ferdinand recently on BT sport. The United legend went on: "It seems he's got it between his teeth: ' i want to be the number one centre half at this club', the form he's started this season in, it seems like he's going about it the right way" Smalling has been a rock for United so far this season, despite their early poor results. Could this be perhaps the year of Chris Smalling? United fans will certainly hope it will be.

Who is Anthony Martial?

Amidst a busy final day or so in the transfer window, Manchester United have been linked with paying in excess of £40 million pounds for the young French forward Anthony Martial and whilst the exit doors are still being used at Old Trafford, by the likes of Anders Lindegaard, Javier Hernandez and Adnan Januzaj who have departed the Red devils, we took the liberty of preparing a profile, on our heavily linked transfer target.

Big Money for an unproven teenager, how will fans react?

As a boy, Anthony Martial spent his early footballing years with CO les ullis. He caught that attention of Olympique Lyonnais scouts at the tender age of 14 in 2009 and ultimately joined their youth academy in the same year. Playing for the Under 17 side, perhaps his most impressive feat came in his second season with the youth team, when he scored 32 goals in 21 games, subsequently leading to a France national under-17 team call up.

His professional debut came for Lyon on December 6th, 2012 which was an appearance from the bench, replacing Yassine Benzia in a Europa League game against Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona. The Frenchman's playing time at Olympique Lyonnais was rather short, the attacker only made 3 more appearances in the whole 2012-13 season, all of them being from the substitutes bench.

In late June 2013, Martial signed for AS Monaco for a reported 5 million euros. At the age of 17 he made his Monaco debut, coming on as a sub for Radamel Falcao against FC Nantes. On his first start, came his first goal for the French club as he scored in a 2-0 win over Rennes. In the December of that year however he unfortunately injured his ankle, which hindered his campaign over the months to follow.

Promising Prospect: Martial impressed last season against Arsenal in the Champions league

In his second season, the young forward bagged 9 goals in 36 Ligue 1 games, most notably a dramatic late equaliser against French Champions Paris Saint Germain. However surely this sort of goal return for a club like Monaco, in arguably a lesser league, surely isn't enough to justify a potential transfer fee of a staggering £40 plus million pounds. Certainly United fans wont be pleased with the amount of money spent on such an unproven and raw talent like Anthony Martial unless he turns into the next Cristiano Ronaldo. The Red Devils have a track record for putting faith in younger players, the Real Madrid number 7 is a perfect example. Ronaldo was bought for back then big money in £12 million pounds and turned into the best player in the world in years to come, but is £40 million plus, a step too far?

Martial's stats don't really scream 'Prolific striker', up until now he has 15 goals in 68 AS Monaco appearances, which won't sit well with the Old Trafford faithful. Losing players like Javier Hernandez and Adnan Januzaj for a season to Dortmund, the pressure will be even bigger on the result of this transfer and what kind of player young Martial will turn into, the next Henry perhaps? Who knows.

Need for Speed: Martial's biggest asset is thought to be his pace, in action here against Thiago Silva.

In terms of his pace, he is thought to be lightning quick. This particular trait was mentioned in UEFA's report on their report on the 2013 European U21 championships, with Martial being named in the team of the tournament. Furthermore Martial has been described as having "smart movement, excellent close control and overall technical ability" by the former CEO of AS Monaco Tor-Kristian Karlsen. Additionally he is thought to be quite composed on the ball and excellent in one on one situations.

All in all, spending so much money on such a young player, piles on the pressure, not only on Martial himself but also Louis Van Gaal, who is very close to the quarter of a billion mark in terms of money spent on transfers since his time at United, will Anthony Martial set the world alight and lead the red devils to glory? United fans across the globe will be very much hoping this, but we'll just have to wait and see.