MX23RW : Friday, January 31 10:39:30| >> :60:243:243:

Rafael Benitez: 'Juan Mata was best player at Chelsea'

By , Senior Reporter
Rafa Benitez declares that Juan Mata had been Chelsea's best player over the past two years before departing for Manchester United in January.

Former Chelsea manager Rafael Benitez has declared that Juan Mata was the best player at the club.

Mata, who was a mainstay under Benitez at the Blues last season, joined Premier League rivals Manchester United last month for a club-record fee of £37.1m after falling out of favour under Jose Mourinho.

"I am not here to talk about Chelsea," Benitez is quoted as saying by Goal.com ahead of Napoli's Europa League tie against Swansea City. "But Juan was their best player in the last two years. That is it. You can see that. But I am not here to analyse what they did."

Benitez's Napoli are currently third in the Serie A table.

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Christian Benteke of Aston Villa celebrates after scoring a goal to level the scores at 1-1 during the Barclays Premier League match between Chelsea and Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on August 21, 2013
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