Juan Mata's £37million record signing chink of light in the gloom at Manchester United The Mata deal shed light on United's weaknesses and strength all at once. First, Jose Mourinho would rather take a 12-month vow of silence than sell a match-winning midfielder to a title race rival. Chelsea's step up to the bargaining plate came after Mourinho had extinguished United's title defence with a 3-1 victory last Sunday. From that moment on he could pat Moyes's team on the head and wish them well in the scramble for fourth. But United, like Arsenal in the summer with Mesut Özil, are still sufficiently strong to be able to solve a problem by throwing money at it, both in the PR sense of dousing fan anxiety and improving the side in troubled times, which these are. When Moyes took over the word was that United were not fussed about buying a big-name No 10. He had Shinji Kagawa and Wayne Rooney and felt Januzaj might develop into a central playmaker. Though big names were pursued (or inquired about) - Cesc Fabregas, Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo, Leighton Baines and Ander Herrera - Moyes contented himself with Marouane Fellaini, whose injury has at least sheltered him from the scepticism of the Old Trafford crowd. But by the autumn it was already obvious that Moyes's first-team squad had fallen behind those of City, Chelsea and Arsenal, and this defeat only deepens that anguish. To a nurse or teacher, the idea that salvation can be found by breaking the club's transfer record and splashing £37 million on a player who is surplus to requirements at Chelsea would seem a grotesque affirmation of football's one-track mind. In the economics of modern football, though, the Mata move makes sense - especially now - even if it comes without tactical forethought. Moyes thought there was enough midfield creativity at his disposal. Results said he was wrong. So Mata has become United's Ozil: an expensive, safe buy in times of need. The anomaly of Dimitar Berbatov being United's record signing at £30.7 million is about to be wiped from history. Artistry is certainly scarce in this United side. They are more direct, less fluid and display much less conviction in possession of the ball. Each time we say this the absence of Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie demands a mention. Even Sir Alex Ferguson's teams would have been emasculated by the loss of one of Europe's best strike pairings. In a sunlit world where Rooney and Van Persie are fit, the question is how to deploy Mata in a way that allows his safe-opening expertise to shine. In the centre, is the best and easiest answer. There is no point in Moyes building the team round Rooney when the odds and the grapevine point to a move by England's senior striker. So United cannot worry about Mata dancing on Rooney's toes. Nor could Kagawa grumble about losing the orchestrator's role. Lacking authority and bite in the No 10 position, Kagawa has been forced wide, where he lacks the inclinations of a winger. The rest of the central midfield cast - Tom Cleverley and the ageing Ryan Giggs - could not stand between Mata and his calling as the team's improviser. By degrees, playing two strikers is becoming less of a heresy. A United side with Rooney, Van Persie and Mata ought to generate more excitement than anxiety about how the three could play together. This tie accentuated the lack of rhythm in United's passing. There was never the sense that Sunderland had stumbled into the kind of ambush this crowd are accustomed to. There was a time when United would have torn relegation-threatened opponents to shreds. After underbidding last summer - or not chasing targets with sufficient vigour - United are going to have to overpay this winter. Selling clubs will know a hint of desperation has crept into the rebuilding. They also know about the Glazer debt burden. A £150 million transfer budget might feel more like £100 million after United's weakened bargaining position has been taken into account. As things stand Champions League football next season is not a perk they can promise transfer targets. If the Mata story lifted United's spirits, their defects remained all too visible in this disjointed performance. The need for a revolution is obvious. If the Mata buy looks a bit forced, at least he is the right type of player: one with skill and soul. The top 50 January transfer window targets