Manchester United: 3 Players affected by Jadon Sancho’s summer arrival

#3 Juan Mata

Last summer, when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer culled several players from Manchester United, Juan Mata, despite his ageing status, was considered a vital part of the cultural rebuild which was to happen at Old Trafford.

The World Cup winner was envisaged as an influential figure in the youthful Manchester United squad given the Spaniard’s excellent career and his demeanour- essential traits required to mentor the upcoming talents.

Despite an influential role behind the scenes, Juan Mata has experienced a drastic reduction in his playing time, with Solskjaer preferring Andreas Pereira and Jesse Lingard ahead of the 32-year-old.

Return of Paul Pogba from a long-term injury and Bruno Fernandes’ imperious start to his Old Trafford career has pushed the Spanish playmaker to the fringes of United’s squad, despite a major social presence in and around Carrington training ground.

Notwithstanding the declining physical attributes, Juan Mata, still, has a few years of top football left in him. Twelve months on, the current United squad, certainly, has evolved and looks capable of handling the pressures of performing at the elite level.

Also, Nemanja Matic’s resurgence alongside Paul Pogba, Bruno Fernandes, and Harry Maguire means the Red Devils squad has ample senior figures to guide the emerging starlets. This all could mean Juan Mata breaking his six and a half year relationship with the Stretford club.

In the midst of an uncertain future at the club, Juan Mata was linked with a move to Turkish giants Fenerbahce. Previously, Robin van Persie made this switch in 2015.

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