Tuesday, 12th August, 2014
Manchester United playmaker Juan Mata has expressed his excitement about playing Valencia in a friendly tonight.
The Spaniard spent four years of his career at Valencia, featuring in a total of 174 matches and scoring 46 goals for Los Che.
However, he moved to England in 2011, joining Chelsea initially before finally arriving in Manchester last year to join the Red Devils.
And as his current team prepare to play the Spanish outfit at Old Trafford tonight, the 26-year-old believes that the occasion is going to be an emotional one for him.
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"It will be very special for me tonight as Valencia is a city and a club that I will always have in my heart", Mata told his club's official site.
"I enjoyed a lot of great moments there and made many friends.
"I like to go back when I can as it's a city that I love, so I'm sure the game will be particularly emotional for me when seeing the players and the coaches as they were very, very good to me.
"I arrived there when I was 19 and was there for four very important years in my career.
"They helped me to grow as a player and as a person so I will always be grateful to Valencia – the club and the city."
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