Juan Mata admits it is painful to see Manchester City and Liverpool above Manchester United.
The Red Devils are currently languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League table despite their surprising 1-1 draw against Liverpool at Old Trafford, whilst their storied rivals are neck and neck at the top for the second consecutive season.
Mata, 31, swapped Stamford Bridge for Old Trafford in January 2014 after falling out of favor under Jose Mourinho at Chelsea.
He Moved to United just as United’s domination in English football was coming to an end. He had won the World Cup, the European Championship and the Champions League before moving to United.
Mata, who was an unused substitute as United drew 1-1 with arch-rivals Liverpool on Sunday said that he sympathizes with the club’s supporters over having to watch both Liverpool and Manchester City’s success on the pitch while their own side struggle.
Speaking to Goal, Mata said: “I like to watch matches when I have a day off because I love the game and I can appreciate good football, but if I am watching Liverpool or Man City playing, the rivalry they have with my club means a lot to me.
“You can see that City and Liverpool are good teams and they play nice football, but I cannot be happy that United are behind them at the moment. Of course not. I understand what it means to the fans to be behind City and Liverpool, and I cannot be happy about this. I prefer to focus on us rather than thinking about our rivals.”
United’s draw with Liverpool on Sunday means they finished the weekend in 13th place in the table, already 15 points behind the league leaders with just nine games played, and it looks as though it will be another season where their supporters are looking enviously at their superior rivals.
