Mata: Rooney? I'm now Man Utd's No.1 penalty taker

The Spaniard converted from the spot in Wednesday's Champions League clash with Wolfsburg, with Louis van Gaal having decided he is now ahead of Wayne Rooney in the pecking order

Posted Thursday, October 01, 2015 by Goal.com

Juan Mata has revealed that he is now Manchester United's primary penalty taker, ahead of Wayne Rooney, with the Spaniard having scored from the spot in Wednesday's 2-1 win over Wolfsburg.

The former Chelsea playmaker stepped up to slot home past Diego Benaglio in the 34th minute, levelling the Champions League clash at Old Trafford at the time, with Daniel Caligiuri having given the visitors the lead.

And now Mata, who also set-up United's winner with an extravagant flick into Chris Smalling's path, has revealed that Louis van Gaal has decided he is now the club's penalty taker, ahead of skipper Rooney.

Mata told BT Sport: "The manager makes a list of penalty takers and I'm the first right now so I have confidence.

"It was a very tough game. We were defending in the last minutes because we were physically very tired. They were pushing and pushing but I think we did what we had to do which was win after the first game that we lost in Holland, and we are happy today."