JUAN MATA has raved about “very clever” Manchester United new-boy Donny van de Beek after his stunning assist at the Amex Stadium.
The £35million summer buy, 23, set-up the veteran Spaniard up for his side’s second with a deft flick to bamboozle the Brighton defence.
Mata praised ‘clever’ Van de Beek after his impressive assist vs BrightonCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Fred fired the ball towards the young Dutchman with pinpoint accuracy.
Van de Beek simply let the ball run over his foot with the cheekiest of flicks to divert it into the path of Mata.
From there, the former Chelsea star was able to slot a composed shot into the back of the net to double United’s lead and all-but kill-off the game.
And Mata was quick to pile praise on Van de Beek after the 3-0 Carabao Cup victory for his “clever” play.
On Van de Beek, the impressive Mata said: “[It was] a very clever assist… he’s a very clever player.
“I love playing with him because he finds pockets of space and he understands football in way that I like.
“He plays one-twos, passing a moving, and the goal was like that.
“He is always in the right position.
“He flicked the ball to me and I could finish with my right foot.”
Van de Beek’s strong game will have been a huge relief to his agent – who lashed out at Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for benching him for the Premier League clash against Brighton at the weekend.
Agent Sjaak Swart claimed: “A substitute, I don’t like it at all.
“I couldn’t do it myself, substituting in with four minutes left to play. Then you’d better let me sit down.
“I have to say he did three more good things. The penalty, where the winning goal came from, came from him.
“But normally they should have lost 1-7. Five times post and bar, Brighton…
“They have a nice team, but that shouldn’t happen to Manchester United.”
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
