Louis Saha believes Manchester United’s club-record signing Juan Mata can bring the best out of Wayne Rooney.
The 25-year-old has made a positive impact at the Red Devils since completing a £37.1m move to the defending champions from Chelsea during the January transfer window.
Mata could bring the best out of Rooney
Louis Saha
Mata has already combined with Netherlands international Van Persie to create two goals for the former Arsenal captain in recent games against Stoke City and Fulham.
But Saha feels Mata’s presence can also allow Rooney to push further up the pitch alongside Van Persie and affect games in his most influential position.
“As a striker, you enjoy playing in front of footballers like Mata. Someone of that calibre gives you confidence that when you time your run he is going to give you the ball nine times out of 10,” Saha wrote in his column on United’s website.
“You have the belief that you will hurt defences and disrupt their confidence because with one pass, one great bit of play, you can change a match.
“Those two aspects – the playmaker who is able to make a pass and the forward who can get through the lines of defence – is really important to us and
the way we have to break teams down.”
Saha continued: “Mata could bring the best out of Rooney, too. It’s a natural part of Wayne’s game to drop deep to get the ball – he’s an intelligent footballer like that.
“But Mata takes up those deeper positions, even when drifting in from the flank, so hopefully Rooney can put all his focus on staying high up the field and combining with van Persie, where they really affect the game.”
