It's been an interesting season for diminutive midfielder Juan Mata.

Many expected the Spaniard to be instantly axed after his troubled six months under Jose Mourinho at Chelsea, leading to his Old Trafford switch in January 2014, but he survived the summer and has featured regularly throughout the campaign, notching up 27 outings across all competitions.

Nonetheless, the former Blues Player of the Year has been forced to accept the role of squad player. He's started just over half of United's 20 Premier League fixtures this term and has often been overlooked for the big games, once again inflaming criticisms of his limited defensive contributions, including the last North West derby in October.

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Indeed, Ashley Young and Marcus Rashford were favoured as the Red Devils ground out a very forgettable scoreless draw at Anfield.

But with United boasting home advantage for the next instalment on Sunday, generally in much better form than they were a few months ago and Mata himself in good nick after bagging two goals and two assists in his last two appearances, including a strike against Hull City, should Mourinho start the 28-year-old when Liverpool come to town this weekend?

Of course, there are arguments for and against - so we're opening up the discussion to our readers. Let us know your thoughts on Mata starting against Liverpool in the poll below...

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