Manchester United FC veteran Juan Mata is set to leave the club after spending six seasons at Old Trafford. With Bruno Fernandes’s arrival and Mason Greenwood’s performances, the Spanish magician has found minutes difficult to come by this season. Mata is seeking to leave for Turkish club Fenerbache in search of guaranteed game time and will be allowed to move.
The 32-year old Spanish playmaker is in the twilight of his career and has found the Premier League overwhelming lately. Mata has made 19 appearances in the Premier League this season providing only two assists and scoring none. The fact that he hasn’t started 75% of those matches doesn’t help the ageing elegant midfielder’s cause.
But surprisingly, Mata has been very influential for the Red Devils in the FA Cup and Europa League this season. In the FA Cup and Europa League combined, he has made 12 appearances, has scored three goals and set up three more. He also scored the only goal against Wolves in the FA Cup tie replay enabling United to go through.
Juan Mata has been a loyal servant to Manchester United since his arrival from Chelsea in the summer of 2014. The Spanish international was tearing the league apart at Chelsea until Mourinho came in and benched him and shipped him eventually. Mata has made a total of 252 appearances for the United and has scored 48 goals and set up 42 more.
This season, he has been used either at the No.10 position or on the right-wing but has been largely ineffective. Due to his age, Mata is not being able to cope-up with the speed of the Premier League. But, his passing range and precise passing have come good against smaller sides this season.
With interest from the Turkish club and limited chances at United, Mata might be tempted to move out. His move will be good for both parties, as United are looking for funds to make new signings. Solskjaer will be happy to ship \ out Mata and use the funds to aid a move for Grealish or Sancho.
Manchester United’s rebuilding process is almost complete and Mata moving elsewhere will be a step forward in the right direction. Mata’s contract at United expires in 2021, with an additional year also available for the board to extend. Come the summer transfer window we will see if a transfer for Mata takes shape.
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