“He’s in charge of his own future”: Solskjaer speaks out on future of Man United man – originally posted on Sportslens.com
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has given an update on Juan Mata’s future at Manchester United, with the Spaniard’s deal set to expire this summer.
Mata joined Manchester United in 2014 and has been a great servant for the club, scoring 50 goals and assisting 47 in his 271 appearances for the Red Devils.
However, Mata has fallen out of favour this season.
The Spaniard has only featured eight times in the Premier League during the current campaign, following just 19 league appearances last season.
With Mata’s current deal is set to expire this summer, questions are being asked about whether he will remain at Old Trafford next season.
Though Manchester United do have an option to extend his contract by an extra year, an agreement has not yet been reached.
Now, Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has revealed that he will speak to Mata about his future ‘very soon’.
“I’ve kept the dialogue with Juan and we’re due to speak again very soon,” Solskjaer explained to Manchester United’s official website.
“Of course, he’s not played as much as he’d like and that’s a decision that we’ll make with him.
“He’s in charge of his own future and he’s been such a good servant for the club,” Ole added. “But of course, it’s hard, as I’ve said so many times, to leave good players out, good people out of the team.
“It’s about what does he want as his next step in his career? Is it [to] still play out his career here, or is it going somewhere else?
“We haven’t made a final decision yet.”
SL View – Should Mata leave Manchester United this summer?
While Mata has been a brilliant servant for Manchester United, he should consider an exit this summer.
At 33 years old, Mata needs to make the most of his remaining years in football and playing eight Premier League games a season is not good enough for a player of his quality.
The Spaniard should take inspiration from former Arsenal playmaker Santi Cazorla, who was brilliant after returning to Villarreal.
The playmaker scored 11 goals and assisted 10 in 35 La Liga appearances in the 2019/20 season, before joining Al-Sadd in Qatar last summer.
A return to Valencia for Mata would be an attractive proposition for both the club and player.
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