Juan Mata issues clarity on his Manchester United future

Manchester United forward Juan Mata wants to put the team first as he approaches the last two months of his contract at the club.

Mata, 30, is out of contract on June 30 and is understood to want a minimum two-year deal which is proving a sticking point in negotiations. United want to keep the Spaniard but could lose Mata on a free in the summer.

Premier League and La Liga clubs have expressed an interest in Mata, who is believed to have been offered an ambassadorial role by United at the end of his playing career. Despite the speculation surrounding Mata and compatriots Ander Herrera and David de Gea, the World Cup winner has selflessly prioritised United’s run-in over his future.

“I don’t think right now is a good moment to speak about it,” Mata told the MEN. “Because I prefer to put the team before myself and what we are going to face now is important enough to be focused only on that.

“There have been some rumours about myself and other teammates over the last week, so I’m not the one who is going to put more questions or raise more comments with what I say.
“So I prefer to put the team before me and focus on the important task that we have ahead, which is Barcelona. And that’s it. I’m sure the fans prefer that because we all want to beat Barcelona, we want to have our heads focused on Barcelona.

“And, again, I don’t want to raise any more noise that, to be fair, in the last weeks there has been quite a lot.”

United host Barcelona in their Champions League quarter-final first leg on Wednesday and the return leg is six days later. United have dropped to sixth in the Premier League and are two points off fourth-placed Arsenal, in their attempt to secure a Champions League qualifying place.