Juan Mata is considering a Manchester United exit amidst lack of playing time
According to Manchester Evening News, Juan Mata is considering his future at Manchester United amidst a lack of playing time.
The Spaniard arrived at the club back in 2014 for a then club-record fee of £37.1million from rivals Chelsea. The attacking midfielder was sensational for the Blues as he had won them the UEFA Champions League and the Europa League. Thus, it was always had the elements of a good signing.
Over the years, the 33-year-old has featured prominently but has never been able to nail down a starting spot in the line-up. Although Mata managed to rack up 18 appearances last season, most of them were off-the-bench as he got less than 900 minutes on the pitch.
Things only took a turn for the worse this summer after the club made the additions of Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho. This is despite the fact that Solskjaer already had the likes of Anthony Martial, Mason Greenwood, Jesse Lingard, Marcus Rashford, and Edinson Cavani at his beckoning.
Even if the Spaniard was to be played as a midfielder, the options are completely stacked. The only game the 33-year-old featured in this season was the EFL Cup tie against West Ham United last week.
Mata was omitted from the squad against Aston Villa on the weekend, and given that his contract will expire next summer, a move could be on the cards. However, it remains to be seen whether he decides to leave in January or on a free transfer after 11 months.
class="wp-image-6107" srcset="https://weallfollowunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Juan-Mata.jpg 736w, https://weallfollowunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Juan-Mata-300x200.jpg 300w, https://weallfollowunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Juan-Mata-150x100.jpg 150w, https://weallfollowunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Juan-Mata-696x463.jpg 696w" sizes="(max-width: 736px) 100vw, 736px" />