Indyplus sport: Juan Mata: Are Manchester United about to sign to most effective midfielder in the Premier League?
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By Gordon Tynan
The Spaniard is applying the finishing touches to his £37m move to United, and since arriving at Chelsea as a World Cup winner in a £24m deal from Valencia back in August 2011, he has made a total of 27 assists in the division - that is more than any United player in that time, and second only to a fellow Spanish playmaker, David Silva, who has created 29 goals for Manchester City.
But Mata has not just excelled in creating goals in the division, he has also scored them too. The 25-year-old has scored 18 goals, the same amount in that period as Chelsea and Spain team-mate Fernando Torres.
In total, Mata has scored 18 goals with 27 assists, making him directly involved in 45 Premier League goals - only five players have been involved in more during his time in the top flight.
In the previous two seasons combined, before Gareth Bale joined Real Madrid from Tottenham Hotspur, Mata was directly involved in 43 Premier League goals, one fewer than the £86m Welshman (44).
Players directly involved in most Premier League goals since August 2011
Robin van Persie (Man Utd/ Arsenal) 84 (63 goals, 21 assists)
Wayne Rooney (Man Utd) 72 (48 goals, 24 assists)
Luis Suarez (Liverpool) 70 (56 goals, 14 assists)
Sergio Aguero (Man City) 64 (49 goals, 15 assists)
Theo Walcott (Arsenal) 49 (27 goals, 22 assists)
Juan Mata (Chelsea) 45 (18 goals, 27 assists)
Most assists in the Premier League since August 2011
David Silva (Man City) 29
Juan Mata (Chelsea) 27
Wayne Rooney (Man Utd) 24
Theo Walcott (Arsenal) 22
Robin van Persie (Arsenal/ Man Utd) 21
Antonio Valencia (Man Utd) 20
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