Manchester United have successfully got their season back on track under the guidance of their interim manager for this campaign, Ole Gunnar Solskjær. A lot of Man United players have improved a lot after the Norwegian manager’s arrival which has reaped dividends on the pitch as the Red Devils are currently enjoying a rich vein of form across all competitions.
The Mancunian outfit have won nine and drawn one of their last ten matches under Solskjær which has given them a realistic chance of claiming a top 4 place in the Premier League at the end of this campaign. The likes of Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard, Victor Lindelof, Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku have all put in improved performances on the pitch over the past few weeks.
However, one player who has not got a fair shot under Solskjær has been Juan Mata. The Spaniard was surprisingly more productive when Jose Mourinho was in charge at Old Trafford. He has found first-team chances hard to come by following Solskjær’s appointment at the red half of Manchester.
The 30-year-old can be considered as one of the best playmakers in the English top-flight, so it is quite a big worry that he is struggling to get into the United first-team in recent weeks.
Mata has made just three league starts under Solskjær this season which is simply not good enough for a player of his high standards. He has been left frustrated with the lack of game time and was being linked with a move to Barcelona during the January transfer window. However, a deal has failed to materialise which means that he will stay at Man United until the end of this season when his contract with the club comes to an end.
There have been no indications regarding United’s intentions of retaining the player’s services for the long run, so it is quite likely that Mata will be allowed to move on in search of greener pastures next summer.
Since making a switch from Chelsea back in 2014, Mata has gone on to feature in 209 matches for the Red Devils, scoring 44 goals while grabbing 35 assists in all competitions. Hence, it’s a real shame that the Spanish talent didn’t get a fair chance to fight for his place under Solskjær as he has still got a lot to offer on the pitch.
