'I called him' - How Unai Emery's chat with Juan Mata led to Aston Villa signing forgotten Man Utd star

Lindelof was reduced to a bit-part role during his final few seasons at United, failing to hit 20 Premier League appearances in each of his last two campaigns. He left Old Trafford last June upon the expiry of his contract, and though he was linked with moves to mainland Europe with Borussia Dortmund and Fiorentina, he ultimately decided to stay in England, penning a deal with Villa on transfer deadline day.

Mata played with Lindelof at United and under Emery at Valencia earlier in his career. The Spanish playmaker turned into matchmaker to bring the two together in the summer.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Emery explained how Lindelof signed for Villa: "I called Juan Mata, his team-mate at Manchester United three or four years ago, and I coached Mata in Spain. He [Mata] is a fantastic guy, an intelligent guy. I called him speaking around the possibility to sign Lindelof, as a person, as a player, the commitment. Everything he told me, now we are watching it. Fantastic guy, very professional, respectful. He was being passion and adapting to play in the right side, and when we needed him because we had those two injuries to Tyrone Mings and Pau [Torres], he played in the level we expected. And of course, I am so happy how he's helping us and I told him, 'you set the level here, now you can't get under this level'."

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Mata was a beloved figure all throughout his time at United after joining from Chelsea in January 2014, three-and-a-half years prior to Lindelof's arrival. He registered 51 goals and 44 assists in 285 games across all competitions before his contract expired in the summer of 2022.

After leaving United, Mata joined Galatasaray, but only spent one year with the Turkish giants before leaving Europe altogether to sign for Japanese outfit Vissel Kobe. However, he made just one appearance, coming off the bench as a substitute for the final ten minutes of a loss to Sanfrecce Hiroshima. Nevertheless, he received a winners' medal after Vissel Kobe were crowned J1 League champions.

For the last two years, Mata, now 37, has been playing in Australia, spending the 2024-25 campaign with Western Sydney Wanderers before leaving for Melbourne Victory.

While Mata is spending the twilight of his career Down Under, Lindelof is still going strong in the Premier League. Having played only a handful of minutes through the autumn as he got accustomed to his new club, the Sweden defender has started each of Villa's last five league games, forming a fine centre-back partnership with England international Ezri Konsa.

Villa's run of 12 wins from their last 13 Premier League games has seen them move to within six points of leaders Arsenal. They sit level on 42 points with Manchester City, eight clear of Liverpool in fourth and 11 ahead of Chelsea in fifth. Lindelof's former club United are level with Chelsea on goal difference, with both the Blues and Red Devils having their respective seasons thrown into chaos after sacking their head coach. Liam Rosenior has replaced Enzo Maresca at Stamford Bridge, while Darren Fletcher has stepped in for Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford on an interim basis.