Mata: I'm very grateful to United fans

Mata looked absolutely delighted to score his first Manchester United this afternoon against Aston Villa. He ran straight to the fans in the Sir Alex Ferguson stand before then celebrating in front of the Stretford End.

“It feels very good, it’s taken a few games but today was the day,” Mata told MUTV. “I felt that it was coming and, thankfully, it was today. I feel very happy and very grateful to the fans who were supporting me in the game today. I will try to score as many as I can between now and the end of the season and hopefully it is the first of many in my Manchester United career.”

Wayne Rooney put United level before scoring the penalty that Mata won. The Spaniard is thoroughly enjoying playing alongside Rooney this year.

“He’s doing very well for us, scores almost every game and is so passionate about playing for this club,” Mata added. “I’m very happy for him and hopefully he can keep scoring until the end of the season. I really enjoyed linking up with him as we had spaces to play between their lines. I really like to play with him because he is top striker – he does everything up front.”