Share

Mata reflects on year one at OT

Cape Town - Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata took some time out to reflect on his first year as a Red Devil following his high-profile move from Chelsea.

Mata wrote on his blog:

"Hi everyone. Time flies! It seems it was yesterday when I stepped out at Carrington for the first time, when I met my team-mates and had the first training session with them. Twelve months have gone by since then, and the truth is I feel like everything has passed really fast.

In this 365 days I have lived many special moments, with a lot of good times and some disappointments too, but I have always felt privileged for being where I am. The United staff, the fans and my team-mates have been fantastic with me since the very first day, and it's because of them that Manchester United is such a great and important club worldwide. For all these reasons and many more I want to thank you all and to keep the same mentality that I had when I came here: to compete, to get better and to do my bit for the benefit of the team and the club. Good results are the best reward for you, I know, that's why we are already focusing on the game against Leicester City at Old Trafford at the weekend. The previous match with them left us with a bad taste; we want to change that and offer a good game to our crowd.

As you know, last Friday we drew with Cambridge in the FA Cup. It was a very physical game, played in tricky conditions, and now there will be a replay at home to try to get to the next round. On paper, it may seem easy to beat a team of a lower division. It is not. We just have to take the example of Saturday, with two big clubs being knocked out at home. It reminds us that the FA Cup is full of surprises. Also, it should be a warning sign for us ahead of our replay.

Thank you once again for being there, day after day, week after week and year after year. I have lived a lot of things in my first year in Manchester United, I'm very happy and I hope both you and me enjoy great moments in the future. Thank you with all my heart! Have a nice week!

Hugs,

Juan"

Manchester United host Leicester City on Saturday with the match kicking off at 17:00.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
loading... Live
Glasgow Warriors 7
Sharks 0
loading... Live
North West 88/3
Warriors RSA 145/7
loading... Live
Titans RSA 68/3
Lions 154/8
loading... Live
Western Province 173/4
Boland 94/9
loading... Live
Ulster 0
Cardiff Rugby 7
Voting Booth
How much would you be prepared to pay for a ticket to watch the Springboks play against the All Blacks at Ellis Park or Cape Town Stadium this year?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
R0 - R200
33% - 1817 votes
R200 - R500
32% - 1778 votes
R500 - R800
19% - 1084 votes
R800 - R1500
8% - 461 votes
R1500 - R2500
3% - 187 votes
I'd pay anything! It's the Boks v All Blacks!
5% - 254 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE