Juan Mata Makes Case to Start v Liverpool with Display in Man Utd's Spurs Win

There was a bit of surprise when Juan Mata's name was announced in Louis van Gaal's team an hour before Manchester United kicked off against Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford.

Van Gaal turned to Adnan Januzaj when Angel Di Maria struggled against Sunderland and Newcastle United recently. And with Di Maria suspended against Tottenham after his red card against Arsenal, the smart money would have been on Januzaj to start.

Instead, Van Gaal chose Mata, who hasn't started a game in the Premier League since January 17, when he was substituted at half-time against Queens Park Rangers.

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When he was substituted this time, replaced by Andreas Pereira after 77 minutes, he left to a standing ovation. Now, it would be a surprise if Mata wasn't in the team to play Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.

He started on the right against Tottenham, filling the position Di Maria would have occupied had he played. It's not his favourite role; he would much prefer to play behind the strikers as a traditional No. 10.

But you wouldn't have known it had you been watching him for the first time at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon. He whipped around Danny Rose inside the first five minutes against Tottenham. And it was the trigger for United to blow Spurs off the park in the first half thanks to goals from Marouane Fellaini, Michael Carrick and Wayne Rooney.

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Mata stretched the game when he needed to, creating space for Ander Herrera, Fellaini and Rooney. And when he had the ball, he ducked inside, dragging defenders with him, bouncing passes off the red shirts buzzing around him.

Had Mata's exile from the first team gone on much longer, it would have been difficult to see him staying at Old Trafford beyond the summer. He's not Van Gaal's man, rather someone he inherited from David Moyes.

If he's allowed, the Dutchman will continue his rebuild in the summer. Players will arrive, while others will leave. Mata is popular among the fans. But Van Gaal has shown already that he's not afraid of making big decisions when it comes to cutting players loose.

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Van Gaal hasn't seemed completely convinced by Mata this season. It hasn't taken much for the United manager to take him off or leave him out.

Now, he's got a decision to make about whether to bring back Di Maria for arguably the biggest game of the season.

United's first-half performance against Tottenham was their best of the season. And Mata, with his energy and enthusiasm, was central to it. They need another one at Anfield if they are going to secure the top-four finish they so desperately need.

Mata's performance against Spurs was a timely reminder he should be considered for the biggest games. It was also a nudge to Van Gaal that he deserves to stay at Old Trafford next season.