'A genius forever' - Juan Mata pays tribute to Man United legend George Best ahead of 10th anniversary

Best's legacy lives on at United and Mata appreciated as much, as he made this reference to the Irish sporting giant in his weekly online blog.

This coming Wednesday marks the tenth anniversary of the death of the legendary George Best," wrote Mata.

"Yesterday I watched a documentary about his life and football career. He was one of the best players of Manchester United and one of the best in the history of football, no doubt, and also an idol for several generations that still remember him today. A genius forever."

This is the @FullTimeDevils documentary Mata mentioned and it is well worth a watch:

Mata also suggested United took a big step forward with their dramatic win at Watford on Saturday, as they leapt above Manchester City and Arsenal in the Premier League after a last gasp winner at Vicarage Road.

"I wouldn’t say it was a nice football game, but I think that in the first half, and especially in the first few minutes, we were the better team and as a consequence we got a good goal from Memphis," he reflected.

"In the second half we had some chances, but it’s true that they did good pressing and we couldn’t play the ball and control the game.

"They converted a late penalty but we showed great courage to score again before the final whistle, and following other results we climbed to the second position of the table. I’d like to highlight that we kept the team spirit until the end, and I hope we do it throughout the whole season.

"A tough win like this one, when you don’t play very good, means more than three points.

"Our next rival in the Premier League is Leicester. Claudio Ranieri’s team is having a remarkable season and the proof is that they are top of the League.

"In particular Jamie Vardy (who has equalled Van Nistelroy’s record of scoring in ten consecutive games) and Mahrez are outstanding, playing at an exceptional level… We will have to be very careful with them."