Juan Mata is the wrong Manchester United mouthpiece

Juan Mata is one of the last Manchester United players that should be speaking in public

Given the crisis at Manchester United, the club needs to be very careful about who goes on the record speaking about their performances. While Louis van Gaal can’t avoid speaking in public, his players certainly can. Considering his atrocious play as of late, Juan Mata is one of the last players who should be seeking sympathy from the club’s fans.

Mata’s performance hasn’t just slipped as of late, it’s fallen off a cliff. Lost in the torrent of criticism of Memphis Depay, the Spanish international’s play on the wing has been an embarrassment to the club. No matter how strong his reputation is, his play this season does not merit continued inclusion the squad.

He has only managed to post a Whoscored.com rating above 7 one time in his last six Premier League appearances. For the life of me, I can’t understand why he continues to get a free pass from the fans and press despite his putrid play.

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Playing poorly for the team is bad enough, but then Mata compounded his error by choosing to blog about the “pain” he’s felt over United’s recent string of losses. I’m far from a Manchester United fan, but that type of comment offends me as a football fan in general. If you feel so much pain about losing, perhaps you should improve your actual play on the pitch.

I can only imagine Mata sitting in his plush London apartment typing away on his blog while sipping on a fancy cappuccino. Perhaps there was a draft in his penthouse and he was “pained” to have to go put on a cashmere cardigan as well. Does he really expect fans to sympathize with his plight in the slightest?

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What United fans want and deserve, instead of his emotional blogging, is for Mata to get on the training ground and bust his hump to rediscover his lost form. He’s shown tremendous talent in the past, but it certainly isn’t apparent when he steps on the pitch today. Some good ole fashioned hard work might do wonders for his game and United’s season at the moment.

Some may feel I’m being unfair to single out Mata. After all, he hasn’t been the worst United player on the season and everyone is entitled to express their own opinions. Sure, he’s allowed to cry about his pain. I’m allowed to call him soft for doing it.

Juan Mata needs to keep his mouth shut and try to express himself through his football. The Manchester United attacker needs to worry less about his own pain after losses and worry more about the pain his poor play has inflicted on the millions of United fans who’ve watched it as of late.