Pranav Nair
Manchester United yet to de-list Juan Mata and Lee Grant despite their contracts expiring
According to Manchester Evening News, Manchester United have rather curiously failed to delete the names of both Juan Mata and Lee Grant from the first team players’ list on the club’s official website.
The veterans are among ten players whose contracts came to an end yesterday night. While the names of both Sergio Romero and Joel Pereira have been deleted, United’s action regarding Mata and Grant could be telling.
The goalkeeping duo is among eight players who were released by the club and will now seek their fortunes elsewhere. Neither Romero nor Pereira featured for United last season. It makes little sense for the club to have renewed their contracts and their journey at Old Trafford has now come to an end.
Mara joined United from Chelsea in 2014 and has since been a loyal servant to the club. He has since made 273 appearances for the Red Devils, scoring 51 goals and 47 assists. (h/t Transfermarkt)
Mata has struggled for game time under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer making just 18 appearances last season. Despite the limited role, he appears keen to stay on at the Theatre of Dreams. It is fair to assume that United see it the same way.
The Spaniard may have a bigger role to play in the years to come. This is because the club believes his reputation and knowledge of the game makes him an ideal candidate to join the board down the line. (h/t Express)
Goalkeeping veteran Grant joined United back in 2018 as a third-choice keeper. He has since made just two first-team appearances for the club. At 38-years-old, United could very well opt to keep him on in a coaching capacity.
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The six other players are all from the Academy. They are namely Jacob Carney, Mark Helm, Iestyn Hughes, Arnau Puigmal, Max Taylor and Aliou Traore.
