Manchester United must do right by Juan Mata by allowing the Spaniard to move to another club following a recent report about his future.
According to the Manchester Evening News, Mata is tempted to push for a move in the January transfer window as doors continue to shut all around him at Old Trafford.
The silky midfielder had his contract extended in July by another 12 months, keeping him on board until the end of the campaign.
However, after little change in the 33-year-old’s appearance record, he is seemingly seeking out an earlier exit than first anticipated.
Set Mata free
There should really be no debate about allowing Mata to leave United once the market reopens.
He is clearly no longer part of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s plans, other than to make a few cup cameos.
United’s manager is making a habit of pushing members of his squad to the brink of departure, as Anthony Martial apparently wants to follow in Mata’s footsteps.
This season, the left-footed latter has played just over an hour of football.
His only start arrived in the League Cup defeat to West Ham United last week, which was followed by being left out of Saturday’s surprise Premier League loss to Aston Villa.
This theme of exclusion is just a continuation of the sanctions Solskjaer has put into place since he became United manager.
Last term, Mata played just 18 games, eight of those in the initial XI.
Somehow, the former Spanish international still managed to collect the club’s Player of the Month award in October.
“He 100 percent knows what it takes to win trophies,” said Scott McTominay after his tiny teammate won the award.
“He’s a winner and he’s adopting that mentality for us and he has high, high levels of expectation for all the players around him to reach his standards.”
It went downhill for Mata from that point on, a downwards spiral that shows no signs of being reversed.
So why keep him on any longer if he’s simply not going to be included in the project?
You only live Juan-ce
The career clock of the £37.1m (BBC) signing from Chelsea is ticking.
A move away is paramount to reignite the engine, to get the wheels in motion once again.
Some younger fans might not remember Mata at his prime before he joined United.
Easily one of the top flight’s greatest technicians and creators, he lost touch with his ingenious side after becoming a Red Devil.
But buried beneath the surface is a player packed full of quality, who could still serve a purpose at a high-end team.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
