Jose Mourinho has insisted that Juan Mata will not leave during the January transfer window because Chelsea need him.
The Spaniard has been linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge this month after finding his playing time rather limited this season, which doesn't help his chances of earning a spot for Spain at the World Cup this summer.
"The others (Oscar, Willian, Eden Hazard), they are playing very well and the team is playing very well," manager Mourinho told reporters. "But we need other players.
"If the game goes on being 0-0, then Mata is coming into the game as he is a fantastic player. But the game went into another direction, we scored and then after that my brain worked in another way.
"But we need them. We need Mata, we need [Andre] Schurrle, we need these players as we cannot do it with three. Maybe in February maybe some are not in the best form and Juan is coming at the top of his game."
Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich have been touted as potential destinations for Mata.
Matt Cotton
