Certain players are just ridiculously good in training.
Indeed, while certain players thrive during big games, others showcase their best abilities when the pressure is off and they have a bit more room to experiment and try different things.
Gareth Barry used to be incredible in Everton training, despite not being the most standout player on a weekend, while, unsurprisingly, Christian Eriksen used to be brilliant in Tottenham training.
These technical players often shine in training sessions when it’s more about ability and skill when playing small-sided games rather than intensity and energy in a Premier League game.
Speaking on the More than a Match Podcast, Brandon Williams has been asked to name the best player he ever played with at Manchester United.
Williams claimed that Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes were the two best players he worked with at United, but, interestingly, he says that the best player in training was often Juan Mata.
Juan Mata was amazing in Manchester United training
Williams was asked to name the best player he’d ever played with.
Overall, Pogba and Fernandes got the nod, but, interestingly, the defender said that Juan Mata was the best player in training for Manchester United, claiming that the £37m midfielder often did things that were hard to comprehend.
“Who’s the best player you ever played with?” Williams was asked.
“Best player I played with? I played with a lot of good players, but, in training, Juan Mata, yeah, I just saw him do things in training where it’s like ‘how have you done that?’” Williams said.
“I would say Paul Pogba overall. He was just a unit, if you wanted to make a midfielder you would make him. He’s strong, he’s fast, he can pass the ball and shoot. Bruno as well though, so I would say those two.”
Juan Mata stats for Manchester United
Juan Mata may, on a technical level, be one of the best players to play for Manchester United after the Alex Ferguson era.
Indeed, on his day, Mata could pull all of the strings in any given game.
However, unfortunately for United, Mata wasn’t quite as consistent for the Red Devils as he could have been.
At peak performance, Mata was genuinely one of the best players in the Premier League, but he did appear to dip a little bit at United after joining from Chelsea.
| Juan Mata for Chelsea | Juan Mata for Manchester United | |
|---|---|---|
| 135 | Games | 285 |
| 33 | Goals | 51 |
| 53 | Assists | 42 |
| 0.24 | Goals per game | 0.18 |
| 0.39 | Assists per game | 0.15 |
Mata would eventually leave United to join Galatasaray, but he did flirt with a Premier League return on a number of occasions.
Mata was linked with Newcastle at one point, while Leeds looked at Mata too.
Nowadays, the World Cup winner is playing over in Australia, and at the age of 36, his career is now winding down.
