Juan Mata has signed a new one-year contract at Manchester United. The deal sees the Spaniard extend his seven-year stay at Old Trafford until June 2022. Mata joined United from Chelsea in January 2014 for £37 million, and has been one of the most popular figures at the club ever since.
Juan Mata Signs One-Year Contract Extension at Manchester United
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🪄 @JuanMata8 has extended his stay at United! 🔴#MUFC
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) July 2, 2021
Mata Extends 7-Year Spell at Old Trafford
Mata signed for Manchester United in January 2014, joining from Premier League rivals Chelsea. He had fallen out of favour at Stamford Bridge, but quickly became an important member of the United squad. He started 15 of the next 16 Premier League games, scoring six goals and assisting five.
Mata has gone on to make 273 appearances across his seven-and-a-half year spell at the club. He has amassed a very respectable 51 goals in that time, as well as 47 assists. However, he has seen his game time limited since he crossed the 30-year-old border, failing to start more than half of United’s Premier League games in any of the past three seasons.
In the 2020/21 season, Mata started just ten matches in all competitions for United last season, falling victim to the constantly impressing Bruno Fernandes. Despite this, he still managed to pick up a player of the month award, rewarded for his impressive performances in September. With his contract extension, Juan Mata will continue to provide valuable cover to Fernandes, as well as the imminently arriving Jadon Sancho.
Juan Mata as Popular as Ever
Despite his diminishing influence on the pitch, Mata remains as popular an individual as ever off of it. He’s a player who has demonstrated his kind nature on numerous occasions including when making the effort to meet a disabled fan, after a game in 2016. Mata also started the Common Goal foundation, an initiative inspiring footballers across the globe to donate 1% of their salary to support charities around the world.
The one-year contract extension will continue to see Juan Mata provide valuable squad depth for the Red Devils. In addition, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will love the experience that he continues to bring, to help young players coming through the ranks. Mata is often credited by young United players as helping them through the step up from the academy to first-team.
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