Juan Mata: Wayne Rooney’s treble shows importance to Man United
Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata heaps praise on Red Devils captain Wayne Rooney after his treble
Juan Mata got off the mark for the season against Swansea yesterday, but the Manchester United midfielder was keen to remind fans of teammate Wayne Rooney’s importance to the side.
Mata opened the scoring during United’s 2-1 defeat at the Liberty Stadium, while Rooney endured another frustrating 90 Premier League minutes as a lone striker following a stunning Champions League performance in midweek against Club Brugge.
The England captain again failed to impact the game in south Wales, touching the ball even less than goalkeeper Sergio Romero in the first half. But Mata reassured fans in a blog post that Rooney will soon be back to his lethal best.
“The victory last Wednesday was a day to remember, especially for Wayne Rooney. His hat-trick shows how important he is for us. He always gives the maximum and he has to keep helping us this season. We reached the first main goal, but we want more,” Mata wrote on his blog, One Hour Behind.
United’s third highest all-time goalscorer has failed to find the net in his last 10 league matches, a dismal run stretching back to April.
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The 29-year-old also gave the ball away cheaply for Swansea’s equaliser to round off a thoroughly disappointing day for Louis van Gaal and co.
