Western Sydney boss Alen Stajcic says Juan Mata isn't far away from being able to work his magic for the Wanderers after the Spanish midfielder made his highly anticipated A-League Men debut.
Mata came off the bench to play a 30-minute cameo in the Wanderers' 2-1 defeat to Sydney FC on Saturday.
The World Cup-winning midfielder looked solid but was unable to conjure a spark to help snatch a result for the Wanderers.
The hit-out was Mata's longest amount of gametime since he was with Turkish club Galatasaray close to 18 months ago.
Stajcic said he had considered starting the 36-year-old but believes the Wanderers will see more glimpses of class from the former Chelsea and Manchester United midfielder over the coming weeks.
"I didn't really want to waste his energy in the first 15 minutes or half an hour, when I knew the game would be at its highest tempo," Stajcic said.
"We really need his quality to shine in crucial moments of the game.
"It was a flip of the coin, whether to start him.
"I think he does have the fitness to play longer, he definitely came in with a decent base.
"It's going to take him some time to get used to playing match minutes but he's a world-class player and we saw some of his touches there."
While Mata's limited involvement was noteworthy, there was another interesting subplot to Stajcic's team selection on Saturday.
Swedish striker Marcus Antonsson - one of the top earners in the competition - was left on the bench until the 84th minute.
Antonsson contributed just five goals last season but has lost out to 22-year-old forward Zac Sapsford, a scenario Stajcic sees continuing.
"We played eight or nine games in pre-season and Zac's our leading goalscorer, scoring eight or nine goals in pre-season," Stajcic said.
"It's only pre-season but you have to earn their spots through the way they play, not only goals but through his energy on the pitch.
"He earned his position through his performances in training and pre-season and Brandon Borrello's the same.
"It's not based on where someone comes from or their background, it's based on how they play and their pre-season."
The Wanderers face Western United away next Sunday.
