Manchester United want to make Juan Mata a club ambassador
Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata’s contract will expire at the end of the season, and the club already have a role in mind for the Spaniard after his retirement.
The 30-year-old arrived at Old Trafford from Chelsea in January 2014 for a fee of €46 million, and has won an FA Cup, a League Cup and a Europa League title with the club.
Although he was a regular in his first few seasons in Manchester, he’s struggled for game time recently.
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Contract negotiations for Mata and his compatriot Ander Herrera have been going on for a while now, and the length of the new deal seems to be a stumbling block.
The World Cup winner wants to stay at on a two-year contract, but United has a policy of offering only one year deals to players over the age of 30. There’s a very real possibility that he might leave next summer.
According to MEN, United want Mata to take up a role as a club ambassador following his retirement, thanks to his extensive charity work.
In August 2017, Mata launched the Common Goal initiative – a program that encourages footballers all over the world to donate 1% of their salaries to non-profit organisations. Several high-profile players like Mats Hummels, Alex Morgan and Giorgio Chiellini are part of the initiative.
There have been several question marks over Mata’s future at the club in recent months, thanks to his inability to nail down a spot in the starting XI. However, new manager Ole Gunnar Solksjaer seems intent on retaining his services.
The Norwegian said in an interview on Monday that United’s decision to announce him as permanent manager would help the club in securing new contracts for the players whose deals run out in June.
Mata is a huge crowd favorite with the fans, and the Old Trafford faithful will be hoping that the situation will be resolved as soon as possible.
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His work off the field also makes him a great choice for club ambassador – the kind of role model that millions of fans all over the globe can be inspired by.