Juan Mata says Man Utd players have feet 'firmly on the ground’ despite impressive start
Monday 18 September 2017 13:23, UK
Juan Mata says Manchester United players are keeping their feet “firmly on the ground” despite an impressive start to the season and hailed Wayne Rooney’s return to Old Trafford on Sunday.
United joined neighbours Manchester City at the top of the Premier League and continued their unbeaten start to the campaign with a 4-0 win over Everton on Super Sunday.
That result came after a 3-0 win over Basel kicked off a successful return to the Champions League last week but Mata said this is just the beginning for his side and insisted he and his team-mates are not getting carried away with their early season form.
"It's been an intense and happy week for the Manchester United family, with two games and two convincing wins at Old Trafford, feeling the extraordinary support from our fans and without conceding a goal," Mata said in his blog.
"The team keeps working very well and we're getting the reward that we deserve so far. The game last Tuesday against Basel was special because it was the club's return to the Champions League.
"The way we won gave us not only three points but plenty of confidence as well. The game was not as easy as the score indicates, but I honestly think that we deserved the victory.
"And the same can be said about this Sunday's game against Everton. We had a very strong start in the first half - by the way, what a superb goal from Antonio [Valencia], the goal of the season so far! - and we kept the 1-0 advantage until the last few minutes, when we managed to score more goals to seal the victory.
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"We are happy, for sure, but we keep the euphoria away from the dressing room. Inside, we remain calm, with our feet firmly on the ground. We haven't won anything yet, this is just the beginning and with such a busy schedule there's no time to slow down and relax."
Mata also paid tribute to former United team-mate Rooney, who returned to Old Trafford on Sunday for the first time since his move back to Everton in the summer.
Rooney, who is the club's record goalscorer and won five Premier League titles and the Champions League during his 13 years with United, was given a warm welcome by the home supporters and was applauded off the pitch when he was substituted late on.
He said: "I want to highlight Wayne Rooney's return to Old Trafford. He's part of the Manchester United legend and the crowd gave him the ovation that he deserves when he was substituted.
"Seeing that respect from our fans in the stadium to our former captain was really moving. It makes you feel proud of belonging to this club.
"I think Wayne has still a lot of things to say in football and I wish him the best for the rest of the season."
Mata also looked ahead to United's midweek Carabao Cup tie with Burton Albion, live on Sky Sports, and he said the defending champions are expecting a tough contest.
"We will be facing Burton Albion, a Championship club that will visit Old Trafford trying to play a historic game. They have just defeated Fulham and I'm sure they will try to surprise us," he added.
