The thought of Romelu Lukaku’s potential arrival at Manchester United must excite Juan Mata.
Theoretically, the Spaniard should find it easier playing with Lukaku than he did with the less mobile Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
But Lukaku, who is on the verge of completing a £75 million transfer from Everton, can do it all; he’ll take the ball to feet, run in behind or can serve as a target man.
According to the Manchester Evening News, a number of ‘achievable’ add-ons are currently being negotiated, meaning Man United could end up paying more than £75m for Ibrahimovic’s replacement.
But Lukaku is still expected to sign for the Red Devils, and could meet his new teammates on Sunday as Jose Mourinho’s men fly out to the United States for a preseason tour.
Mourinho dropped his interest in signing Alvaro Morata and it’s a decision that many Man United supporters won’t mind. Lukaku has proven himself over the past three years at Everton, scoring at least 20 goals in all competitions in each campaign.
Not only will the Belgium international be reuniting with Mourinho, his former manager at Chelsea, but with Mata, too.
Mata reacts to potential Lukaku signing
And the Spaniard has reacted to the rumours of Lukaku’s pending arrival by expressing his hope that the striker will help Man United win the Premier League title.
"We played together for Chelsea and he [Lukaku] has had a lot of good seasons at Everton," Mata is quoted as saying by Marca.
"He knows the coach well, and scores a lot of goals which we hope he will carry on so we can try to win the league."
Lukaku's signing will bring optimism
Manchester United haven’t been champions of England since 2013, when Sir Alex Ferguson was in charge and Robin van Persie was banging in the goals.
But there will be widespread optimism around Old Trafford if and when Lukaku’s arrival is confirmed.
The club has already bolstered it’s defence with the signing of Victor Lindelof and will likely sign a centre-midfielder before the end of August, freeing Paul Pogba up to play further forward.
So, while Mourinho is reportedly upset with the slow progress made so far in the summer, he can’t be dissatisfied with the quality of his signings.
Chelsea's problems
In signing Lukaku, the Portuguese will also cause more panic over at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea were in pole position to re-sign the Belgian before Man United swooped. With Diego Costa set to leave, it leaves the Premier League champions with a bit of a striker crisis.