Juan Mata speaks of admiration for Arsenal boss Unai Emery

Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata has opened up on life under Arsenal manager Unai Emery following their time together at Valencia.

Mata spent four years with Emery at the Mestalla before leaving for a career in the Premier League, where he has since represented Chelsea and United.

The Spain international, who has been linked with an end-of-season switch to the Emirates Stadium, says that he has an admiration for the way his former boss goes about his business.

"I think what's special about Unai is the way he communicates," he said in a new biography about the Arsenal manager. "In his talks, he used to write three, four or five things on the board: those were the points he was going to bring up.

"Sometimes it was five phrases or metaphors he was going to explain. I've never seen that with my other managers. They usually revolved around phrases about positivity, camaraderie, the values he wanted to create in his team.

"He communicated by means of the points he had written down. His talks could go on and on because he didn't notice the time, but what he said was always intense, and he would ask you questions. It became a kind of seminar."

Emery has also spent time with Spartak Moscow, Sevilla and Paris Saint-Germain during his 14 years in management.