NORWICH, ENGLAND - MAY 07: Juan Mata of Manchester United with a fan celebrate their win after the Barclays Premier League match between Norwich City and Manchester United at Carrow Road on May 7, 2016 in Norwich, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Juan Mata has seen his career go downhill since he made the move from Chelsea FC to Manchester United and the diminutive playmaker deserves better treatment

It is not often that a player of Juan Mata’s caliber is overlooked but that was the case when the Spain squad for Euro 2016 was released on Tuesday. Manager Vincente Del Bosque chose ten midfielders but the Manchester United playmaker was not among them.

While he was never an automatic starter for Spain, Mata was always seen as one of the first men selected to fill out the nation’s talented bench. Now, because of the way things have gone in his career Mata has been left out in the cold in favor of less heralded players like Saul Niguez or Isco.

What caused this slide? How did Mata go from Chelsea FC’s player of the year two years running to being an afterthought for United and Spain? The simple answer is that he has been cruelly mismanaged by two very difficult managers.

First it was Jose Mourinho at Chelsea FC. Mourinho felt that Juan Mata did not work hard enough in defense and could not fit in to his tactics. He wanted a more physical player at the number ten role and ended up with Oscar or somewhat ironically, Cesc Fabregas.

The irony in this is that Fabregas is just as defensively-challenged as Mata and he was not part of the Chelsea squad until the 2014-15 season. To add to this irony In Mourinho’s first season, Chelsea’s primary problem was the inability to unlock stubborn defenses which is precisely what Mata excelled at.

Mata may not have been able to stand up to the physicality of teams with more dominant midfields but against lower-level opposition and their “19th century tactics” he would have been perfect. Unfortunately at that point Mata was already relegated to the bench and then sold to Manchester United.

At United Mata thought he would have the chance to impress once again and earn his way in to the 2014 World Cup squad for Spain. Mata made the squad after a solid second half of the season with the Red Devils and things were looking up for him at Old Trafford.

It all took a sour turn when David Moyes was replaced the following season with Louis van Gaal. Mourinho was a LVG disciple and he felt much the same way about Mata as it turned out his mentor did. Rather than sending him to the bench, LVG played Mata out of position all season long out on the wing where his lack of pace was exposed.

This season has not been especially kind to Mata despite his involvement in all 38 of United’s Premier League fixtures. He is still being played out of position and his impact has been limited to just six goals and five assists in an anemic United attack.

At 28-years-old, Mata’s time as an option for Spain is running out and he owes it all to the misfortune of playing for both Jose Mourinho and Louis van Gaal. At Chelsea FC early on, Mata was allowed to flourish as a playmaker in the center of the park but with those two managers he has been forced to the bench or out on the touchline where he does not belong.

It is clear that a player of Mata’s genius is being stifled by van Gaal and, if rumors are to be believed, will endure the same treatment under Mourinho next season at Old Trafford. He deserves better than that and must look for a change of scenery so he can once again become the weapon he was at Chelsea.