Jose Mourinho tells ex-Chelsea outcast Juan Mata he can stay at Manchester United – but will only play one in three matches

JOSE MOURINHO has told Juan Mata he does have a future at Manchester United — but he will only play one game in three.

The Portuguese boss made the playmaker and fan favourite into an outcast when he returned to Chelsea before selling him to United for £37.1million in 2014.

Mourinho felt Mata was unwilling to work back and preferred the industry of Brazilians Oscar and Willian.

Spanish star Mata, who is on tour with United in China, is understood to want to stay and fight for his place.

He believes he can impress Mourihno enough on tour to show he is worth a regular start.

United fans have taken Mata, 28, to their hearts. He has scored 21 goals in 86 Prem appearances — more strikes and league games than he played for Chelsea — and managed 26 in 104 games in all competitions since his move.

He appeared to be on his way out with Mourinho’s arrival but was told face to face by the new boss he will have a role to play if he accepts his place in the pecking order.

The player recognises his value in the market has gone down since he moved to Manchester.

Neither Real Madrid or Barcelona are interested in taking Mata back to Spain, while Atletico Madrid appear less than likely suitors and the other La Liga sides do not have the money to match his £150,000- a-week wages, a sum the player himself described as “obscene”.

Mourinho is also offering an olive branch to Marouane Fellaini.

The Belgium midfielder, 28,  has become the butt of taunts from some  fans over the past three  seasons,with many United supporters pinpointing his £27.5m signing as a symbol of the club’s failures since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson.

But Mourinho believes he can be a useful squad member.

The Special One feels Fellaini brings midfield physicality, although he will be keen to calm down the excesses that saw the ex-Everton ace miss the final three games of last term through suspension for clashing with Robert Huth.

United’s new boss sees Fellaini in  a similar role to that of the equally-unpopular John Obi Mikel during both his spells at Stamford Bridge.