Ex-Manchester United and Chelsea star Juan Mata has singled out one former club teammate that Sir Alex Ferguson had been keen to bring to Old Trafford.
Juan Mata crossed paths with former Red Devils boss Sir Alex Ferguson at the tail end of the 84-year-old legendary Scotsman’s distinguished managerial career.
The 38-year-old Spaniard arrived at Chelsea in 2011 from Valencia and faced Ferguson’s Red Devils sides before he made the switch to Old Trafford in 2014.
Mata was one of the early major signings in the post-Ferguson era after Manchester United paid a £37.1m transfer fee during David Moyes’ ill-fated reign at the club.
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Sir Alex Ferguson wanted to sign Chelsea cult hero Eden Hazard for Man Utd — and Juan Mata has now shown exactly why
Juan Mata was already at Stamford Bridge before Chelsea made their stunning £32m move for former Manchester United-linked player Eden Hazard in 2012.
Eden Hazard impressed during his emergence in France’s Ligue 1 during his time at Lille and the 35-year-old Belgian even turned the head of Sir Alex Ferguson.
However, United did not sign Hazard and the Red Devils were left to rue the success that the former Belgium international carved out during his prolific spell at the Blues.
When he was asked about the most skilful player that he played alongside, Juan Mata admitted that Chelsea cult hero Hazard stood out from the rest of the crop.
“The most skilful player I played with? Maybe Eden Hazard,” he told ITV Sport’s TikTok page.
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Why did former Man Utd manager Sir Alex Ferguson not sign Eden Hazard ahead of Chelsea?
Ferguson would step down as Man Utd manager and bow out of football in the season after Chelsea had brought former Lille ace Eden Hazard to England.
The former United manager admitted back in 2012 that he did not make a move for Hazard because he was not willing to prepare a potential £34m price tag for him.
“There is a borderline in terms of what you would think is a good signing for United,” he said, as per Sky Sports.
“I see some values [in] players, like Hazard for instance. To me, it was a lot of money. He’s a good player, but £34m?
“What we’re finding anyway, the climate for buying these top players – not just the transfer fees, the salaries, agents’ fees – is just getting ridiculous now.”
United would instead land Shinji Kagawa as an alternative to former Blues ace Hazard after the Red Devils paid Borussia Dortmund an initial £12m transfer fee.
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