Juan Mata was Chelsea's player of the year for two consecutive seasons before the arrival of José Mourinho before the 13-14 season.

Mata played just 13 of Chelsea's first 22 matches in the Premier League and was sold to Manchester United in January.

"For better or for worse, we had no relationship, there was no dialogue," Mata told El Pais when asked about Mourinho.

"I was not happy, but always gave the most and respected my colleagues. You never know what will happen in life."

Mata added about new United coach Louis van Gaal: "He has so much experience and I can learn a lot from him. He's tough when he has to be.

"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."