Manchester United cannot make Juan Mata mistake with Erik ten Hag's first signing

When 73,00 fans streamed back into the streets around Old Trafford after Manchester United beat Brentford 3-0 last month, they were all thinking the same thing. They were all left wondering where that level of performance had been all season.

That match was United's final game of the campaign at Old Trafford and it was their strongest display at home since their 5-1 opening day mauling of Leeds. United started and ended the season in style at Old Trafford — it's just a shame that everything in between was disastrous and a stain on the club's history. The train wreck of a season couldn't have ended quick enough for supporters.

However, the fans that were at Old Trafford for United's comfortable win over Brentford were also discussing the performance of a particular player. Bruno Fernandes, Cristiano Ronaldo and Raphael Varane scored the goals, but it was someone else on supporters' minds that night. It was actually Juan Mata who was the centre of discussions after delivering a wonderful performance.

Ralf Rangnick's decision to start Mata seemed illogical at first. The 34-year-old was out of contract in the summer and providing him with a start over some of the club's academy talent was unadvisable, but Mata didn't need long to prove that wrong.

Mata started playing at No.10, which was a surprise considering Fernandes was also in the starting line up. Fernandes started on the left side of the 4-2-3-1 and that provided Mata with a rare opportunity to be a No.10 — the position in which he made his name.

The decision from Rangnick to start Mata also seemed sentimental. It was the worst kept secret in football that it was set to be the midfielder's final appearance at Old Trafford and Mata now had the opportunity to