Manchester United picked up a first win of 2020 with a 4-0 thumping of Norwich City on Saturday.
The easy victory provides some respite for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after a sticky start to the year.
But there are still questions to be answered ahead of a week when United battle for a place in the FA Cup fourth round before a trip to Anfield.
Is there a place for Mata?
Solskjaer seems wedded to a 4-2-3-1 at the moment but has been unable to settle on a productive, reliable playmaker to play in the number ten role.
Mata has had chances this season but his performances have been bafflingly poor.
Yes, he’s 31, but he didn’t have much pace to lose and his countryman David Silva has lifted two Premier League titles since passing that age milestone.
Mata’s touch and passing has been inexplicably erratic this season but he offered a reminder of his class here.
It might just have been that Norwich were very poor defensively, but Mata showed a glimpse of his class.
Until a new number ten comes through the door, there might be a case to be made for an experienced playmaker who should be able to regularly pick out United’s pacy forwards.
Is Solskjaer pushing Maguire too far?
There was talk last week that Harry Maguire faced an extended spell on the sidelines with a torn hip sustained against Wolves.
He missed the midweek Manchester derby but returned here as United kept a clean sheet.
But is Solskjaer pushing Maguire too far and risking long term injury? Maguire has Euro 2020 on the horizon and will desperately hope that problems don’t arise in the future as a result of his admirable willingness to play through the pain now.
Can United build on this?
Solskjaer was under increasing pressure ahead of their first meetings with Liverpool and Norwich this season.
A home draw against Liverpool and a 3-1 away victory over Norwich gave United a platform that, other than a 2-1 EFL Cup win at Stamford Bridge, they failed to build on.
An easy win should give United confidence going into a tricky week against Wolves and Liverpool.
United tend to transform confidence into arrogance and complacency and Solskjaer needs to avoid that happening – once again – and use it as a springboard to, belatedly, get 2020 going properly at Old Trafford.
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