Juan Mata believes he can learn a lot from the Manchester United manager, Louis van Gaal, despite seeing his place in the starting XI come under threat following a flurry of signings from the Dutchman.

Mata, who arrived at Old Trafford for in January for a then club record £37m, has started five of Manchester United’s seven Premier League matches, including the 2-1 victory over Everton last time out.

Mata was an unused substitute in the previous match against West Ham however with Wayne Rooney, who was sent off and is still serving his suspension, Robin van Persie and Radamel Falcao occupying the front three positions and Ander Herrera, Ángel di María and Daley Blind, all new arrivals, behind them.

But Mata, speaking in an interview with El País, was full of praise for the Dutchman, whose side face West Brom on Monday. “He has so much experience and I can learn a lot from him. He’s tough when he has to be,” Mata told El País. “He says things in a firm way, intensely, but then he’s somebody who is very close with the players. He really likes to talk with us, to ask us what we think about the exercises that we do in training.”