People are attracted to elite sport by two principal factors: fun and the experience of emotions unusual, if not unavailable, in real life. Winning and losing are significant only secondarily which is why tennis and boxing, where there tends to be no parochial investment, are still popular; the outcome is interesting but the crucial aspect is thrill.

As such, the notion that Manchester United do not need Juan Mata is a curious one; his is an ingenious, improvisational flair, able to stimulate both instinct and intellect with comforting consistency. By way of illustration, ask a United supporter to recall on-pitch highlights from the championship win of 1996-97 and the answer would be short. Likewise 2010-11, a season in which Liverpool were overtaken as England's most successful club. On the other hand, mention 2001-02 – a period that saw the sale of Jaap Stam, the bid for four consecutive titles foiled by Arsenal at Old Trafford, and a European semi-final exit on away goals – and the reaction will be one of glee at the football, memories and abandon.

The preceding summer, Sir Alex Ferguson had bought Juan Sebastián Véron, forcing rearrangement of what was already a complete midfield unit – a move echoed in 2008 with the arrival of Dimitar Berbatov, which disturbed the Cristiano Ronaldo-Wayne Rooney-Carlos Tevez trident. Though neither acquisition worked out quite as planned, nor were they the mooted failures; both were instrumental in title wins, and more notably, delivered moments of unique and original brilliance that were not just improbable but unforeseeable. And even when they did not, there was always the hint that they might.

The current Manchester United squad is not replete with such players or partnerships. Of its two established stars, Wayne Rooney has lost some of the vivacious spontaneity that characterised his youth, while Robin van Persie is admirable mainly for technique and composure – sublime, but predictable.

This leaves Rafael da Silva, Nani and Shinji Kagawa – players David Moyes does not appear to appreciate – and Adnan Januzaj, who is 18. As such, the signing of Mata – proven in both the Premier League and in more than one position – is less luxury, more necessity. There is no danger of his not fitting in, because there is nothing into which not to fit.

Even if United's most obvious deficiency is in midfield, what they need more than anything is class. This season they have dominated possession away to both Liverpool and Chelsea without ever really intimating a goal. United have also struggled to score in almost every home game – wit and invention have been as lacking as ballast and drive. Of course, any team would miss the injured Rooney and Van Persie – players who were bought precisely because they could not be done without and for whose extended absence no strength in depth can compensate. But the presence of another player with transcendent talent spreads the burden of responsibility and will extract more from complementary players able to make a difference when surrounded by betters rather than equals.

Though it is unlikely to have prompted his interest, David Moyes's record and reputation also make Mata an ideal signing. He has no pedigree in crafting teams as unpredictable and grooved as United need to be, with his acquisitions at Everton – James Beattie, Andy Johnson, Yakubu Aiyegbeni – and his tactics – overlaps, overloads and crosses – lacking imagination and variety.

And the same has been evident since his arrival in Manchester – short, snappy passes in the middle section of the pitch are now almost obsolete. His training-ground bias towards defending is well known and his new players have reportedly been surprised by the lack of attention paid to attacking combinations – an approach that contrasts with the relentless drilling of the teams who do it best, improvising not from scratch but an obsessively rehearsed script.

With Arsenal able to spend, Manchester City more experienced and José Mourinho back at Chelsea, the top end of the English game is beginning an upswing. As such, United's most likely route to success, certainly in the first instance, lies in players not just good enough to play well, but smart enough to develop their own rhythm and style. In tight contests, it is hard to see Moyes outsmarting his rivals to make the conclusive difference and there is certainly no persuasive evidence to expect so; indeed, it seems fair to posit this as a prime reason for Chelsea countenancing the Mata deal.

Nonetheless, it remains slightly odd that they were so keen to be rid of a player both productive and reliable - attributes prized highly by Mourinho - and yet his expendability was probably determined before the two had even met. Taking the decision at face value – so as neither an assertion of authority, nor a dig at someone or other – the reasoning was clear: his lack of pace was considered to be a hindrance on the counterattack and his diminutive stature a defensive liability when tracking back.

In theory, these concerns should also trouble Moyes; his and United's most successful teams have been characterised by both facets. But breaking quickly is not necessarily defined by fast running; United's 1993-94 XI, the progenitors of the modern style, included Eric Cantona and Mark Hughes up front. Equally, Arsenal's champions of 2001-02 and 2003-04 had Thierry Henry and Ashley Cole, but were reliant too on Freddie Ljungberg, Dennis Bergkamp and Robert Pires. While of United's treble winners, only Andy Cole and Ryan Giggs were of especial pace, and Giggs missed more than a third of that season's games.

The strategy worked because as much as foot speed, the key to its success was speed of thought and action allied to desire and precision. And though all these sides are famed for their energy and commitment, also present were players not exactly given to defensive duty; Cantona, for example.

Whether Mata can be Moyes's equivalent remains to be seen, but there are parallels beyond his signing on the anniversary of Cantona's entanglement with Matthew Simmons. Just as Moyes's immediate priority was a central midfielder, in the autumn of 1992 Ferguson was seeking a straightforward goalscorer, trying first for David Hirst, before a coincidence of availability and opportunity changed everything. Both Cantona and Mata were signed, not just to play but to elevate and rejuvenate, their renown as human beings rooted in an appreciation of life beyond the game which manifests through magnetism and charm respectively. And, most importantly, the pair share a single, defining attribute: they remind people of what drew them to football in the first place.

• Daniel Harris' new book, The Promised Land, on Manchester United's treble season, is available here