Robin van Persie, Rio Ferdinand Welcome Juan Mata to Manchester United

Judging by Robin van Persie and Rio Ferdinand‘s reactions, it’s safe to assume that Manchester United is excited to have Juan Mata in its midst.

Mata completed his record transfer to Manchester United on Saturday, and two of his new teammates used social media to welcome him to Old Trafford.

Shortly after Mata’s arrival at United’s practice facility, Ferdinand uploaded a photo of Mata greeting United manager David Moyes with a caption that says “Welcome to my amigo Juan Mata! Hoping you enjoy ya time here and help continue the success at this club.” Ferdinand used Twitter to deliver the same message to his five million followers.

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Van Persie also used Twitter to express his delight at the Mata news. Van Persie also hinted that he might return from injury in the same message.

[tweet https://twitter.com/Persie_Official/status/427066185973518336 align=’center’]

Viv Anderson was among the United’s heroes of yesteryear who think Mata’s signing is a good move. The former United and England defender sees Mata as a key player in United’s future.

[tweet https://twitter.com/Anderson_Viv/status/427211872027557888 align=’center’]

United has failed to meet expectations in 2013-14, but the defending Premier League champions hope Mata will give them the boost they need to surge up the standings in the second half of the season. Mata should make his debut on Tuesday when United faces Cardiff City in a Premier-League game that has taken on added significance in recent days.

Mata is expected to add creativity and a cutting edge to United’s attack, and he won’t threaten Ferdinand’s or van Persie’s places in the starting lineup. They, like Anderson, stand to lose little and gain much if Mata succeeds at Manchester United. Of course, they’re happy to have him on board.