Juan Mata was the creative hub as Manchester United beat Leicester

From the moment Jose Mourinho walked through the door at Old Trafford, there was an assumption that Juan Mata would be heading out of it.

It seemed a fair belief. After all, the Portuguese manager had deemed Mata surplus to requirements at Chelsea despite two and a half seasons in which he established himself as one of the most talented midfielders in the top flight.

As if more evidence were needed, Mourinho dragged the Spain international off in Manchester United's Community Shield win only 30 minutes after sending him on as a substitute.

The writing seemed to be on the wall for Mata. The arrival of Henrikh Mkhitaryan exacerbated the situation further, and it seemed that with the sheer number of attacking midfielders in the squad, Mourinho would again choose to move Mata on.

Mourinho's public statements suggested otherwise, but again there seemed to be a form of mind games at play.

That has not been the case, and on Saturday the 28-year-old demonstrated the value he could bring to Mourinho's side against Leicester.

It's easy to forget that when the manager moved Mata on at Chelsea, he had won the club's Player of the Year award for two seasons running.

Mata excelled as a No 10, playing behind a traditional target man. He was the creative hub of a team that was struggling to find a style after Carlo Ancelotti's spell in charge.

Mourinho came in and began using him more infrequently. Oscar took his place in the hole.

At United he has rarely been used in that position. Under David Moyes, who made him his glamour signing during his lone winter window at the club, he was used so far out of position that he may as well not have been on the pitch. Moyes came to favour a 4-4-2 - Mata was shifted to play on the right side of midfield.

Louis van Gaal kept him on the right but pushed him forward to play in the line behind the striker. He was closer to his preferred berth but still not occupying it.

On Saturday, he was given the chance in what was undoubtedly an important match. Wayne Rooney had exited the side after a shocking run of performances. Mata taking his place can be partly credited for United's 4-1 win.

Where Rooney spent the first five games of the Premier League season as a hindrance to United's play, Mata aided it. That was best demonstrated by his role in his side's second goal.

The diminutive playmaker collected the ball in Leicester's half before playing a series of passes with Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard. He collected the ball in the Foxes box and fired past Ron-Robert Zieler to double United's advantage.

With Mata ahead of him, Pogba looked far more settled and far more able to do what he does best on the pitch.

The same was true for Lingard - arguably one of the most under-appreciated players in United's squad - and Marcus Rashford, who played on the other side of Mata.

He became the creative hub on Saturday. While he did only create one chance, it led to Rashford's goal. It was one that came straight from the training ground, according to Mata: 'We know that we have strong people, tall people, going to head the ball in.

'We as takers, we just try to put it in the box the best way we can, aiming for someone to put it in the back of the net.

'Today we showed that we are very strong on that and as well a nice goal between Daley, me and Marcus. We tried a few times last season and it never worked but today finally it worked.'

Given the fact the routine has spanned two managers, it suggests a level of independence and creative thought that shows Mata's importance.

Mata also succeeded with 90 per cent of his passes, and a map of his actions in the game shows his influence all over the park.

In essence, he did what has been demanded of Rooney without allowing it to negatively affect his output.

He dropped deep to begin a move, something Rooney often tries to do, but did it with far more success. Given Rooney has clear fitness issues, that much movement has also impacted his ability to provide goals and assists. He often ends up huffing and puffing more than a steam train.

That was not the case for Mata, who remained on top form throughout. The speed of thought was there, but so was the speed of movement.

Leicester were willing opposition, no longer the robust side that swept the league last season. That probably allowed Mata to settle back into the side with more ease than he would have otherwise done.

The challenge for Mata is to do the same in more difficult encounters. With away trips to Chelsea and Liverpool on the horizon, the opportunity
will come sooner rather than later.