Juan Mata has signed a new two year contract, with the option for a further season, at Manchester United.
Mata’s previous deal was due to expire at the end of June, but after protracted negotiations United confirmed on Wednesday they have struck an agreement to keep the Spaniard at Old Trafford.
The 31 year old joined United in January 2014 after losing his spot in Chelsea’s first team, swiftly becoming a fixture in the side under David Moyes.
Although Mata has gone on to make 161 Premier League appearances for United, he has never managed to rediscover the form he showed in his second season at Chelsea, when he netted 20 times across all competitions.
However, Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Solskjaer have all persisted with using Mata as a right winger on occasion, despite his lack of pace, while he made only 22 Premier League appearances and just 16 starts in 2018-19.
Nevertheless, United have deemed him important enough to strike a deal, meaning the Real Madrid youth product will not join the expected close-season exodus at the club.
Antonio Valencia and Ander Herrera are already confirmed departures from United, while Marcos Rojo, Matteo Darmian, Paul Pogba, Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku have all been strongly linked with moves.
