Jose Mourinho wishes Juan Mata well at his new club Manchester United. The Chelsea manager stated that he had tremendous respect for the midfielder and expected him to be terrific for his new team.

"I and everyone at Chelsea have massive respect for Juan and his big talent, and when he told us of his wish to move on because he wanted to play more, we did not want to deny him this opportunity. We want him to be successful in his career and as well as that, this transfer makes huge financial sense to us at Chelsea," said Mourinho, according to ESPN. "We are pleased Juan will stay in England -- even with a rival club. He is happy in this country and it is good the Premier League retains such a talented player. Juan moves with our full blessing and I can speak on behalf of everyone at the club in thanking him for his fantastic service, and wishing him well for his future."

It will be interesting to see how Mata responds with his new club. Under Mourinho, he struggled to assert himself repeatedly. After scoring 12 Premier League goals for Chelsea in 2012-13, Mata had not registered a single goal in 13 matches; he only had two assists on the season.

Did Mourinho send damaged goods to United? Mata was unable to keep up with the pace of Chelsea under Mourinho and often lacked the creativity that defined him for years. This may be the result of conflicts between the player and coach (which have never been publicized) or simply Mata's confidence dipping under Mourinho. Whether or not any of this is true will now be seen. If Mata thrives at United, then it will be an indication that the limited playtime was harming his effectiveness. If he is unable to pick up his game in his new home, it would be fair to say that Mourinho has damaged his confidence and had no use for Mata any longer.