Juan Mata was delighted with his first appearance in a Manchester United shirt - chiefly because it ended in victory for the Reds.
The Spanish midfielder started Tuesday's match against Cardiff City at Old Trafford, just under 72 hours after completing his club-record transfer from Chelsea. He played 85 minutes - an impressive duration given his recent lack of match practice with his former club - and afterwards thanked the United fans for the rapturous welcome he received.
Mata told MUTV: "I'm so grateful. From the first minute, from the warm-up they [the fans] have been amazing for me. I will just try to give this confidence back on the pitch.
"It was a very special day for me. My first game - my debut - with a victory. It was perfect. I enjoyed it a lot.
"What I love the most is to play. So these minutes [on the pitch] for me are very important. Now I'm going to train and I'm looking forward to playing at the weekend and trying to do my best for the team."
When asked about his contribution to United's 2-0 win, which was sealed with a goal in each half from Robin van Persie and Ashley Young, Mata said: "I tried to play passes for the wingers or the strikers and in the end we scored twice. The most important thing was we won and I felt comfortable with my team-mates."
The colleagues Mata was particularly looking forward to playing with were van Persie and Wayne Rooney,and while he had to be content with being on the pitch with one and then the other, he experienced enough to maintain his almost child-like excitement.
"Robin's early goal shows how good he is," enthused Mata. "And Wayne as well... we are talking about two of the best strikers in the world. It's going to be amazing to play alongside them."
The new arrival accepted that it will take time to properly gel with his new team-mates and surroundings, but the earliest signs are very encouraging.
"I think it will take time but the most important thing is to improve our confidence by winning. Our next game is again like a final for us and we'll try to get the three points again and try to climb the table.
"I'm looking forward to playing at the weekend and trying to do my best for the team."
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