New January acquisition for Manchester United, Juan Mata says he relishes the opportunity to play alongside Wayne Rooney after he was handed the No. 8 jersey as he completed his £37.1m pounds move from Stamford Bridge.
“He's one of the best players in this country's history. I'll try to connect with him as much as I can." Mata said.
Appearing together with his new manager, David Moyes, at his first press conference as a Manchester United player, the Spanish midfielder revealed that he will wear the no. 8 jersey. Media reports had earlier circulated that he was poised to wear the iconic no.7 jersey.
"I think 8 is a great number. I know 7 is iconic here. David Moyes and I decided 8 is good for me. Hopefully it'll bring me luck."
Mata equally noted that the last 6 months have been very difficult for him as he was unable to feature very well for Chelsea since the arrival of Jose Mourinho.
The Spaniard arrives at a very difficult period for The Red devils as they lie 7th on the table but Mata says the character of the club could see them turn the season around.
"What I like most about this club is the character. This club fights to the end and comes back from difficult moments."
Mata arrived Chelsea in August of 2011 from Valencia for a fee of £23.5m pounds and was part of the UEFA Champions league and Europa winning squad earning praise from the club’s fans as he was voted Chelsea’s player of the season consecutively.
Manchester United boss, David Moyes however, congratulated the club and its chief executive, Ed Woodward for getting the deal done.
"When we heard Juan would be available we went after him. Congratulations to the club and Ed Woodward for getting it done."
United next faces Cardiff city in a league fixture on Tuesday and it will be interesting to see if David Moyes will pick Mata to start in the game after the Spanish international trained earlier on Monday.
