Juan Mata admits ‘it’s not always easy’ being bit-part player at Man United

Juan Mata has admitted it’s sometimes tough when you’re not playing every game for Manchester United.

I don’t think there’s a move loveable bloke in football than Juan Mata. He’s undoubtedly a positive influence on any dressing room, while he’s an excellent player, too.

From his work with Common Goal, to scoring scissor kicks at ‘Juanfield’, Mata is idolised by Red Devils supporters all across the globe. That’ll never change, either.

However, over time, Mata’s playing time has declined season-on-season. That’s due to a mixture of the United squad improving, while Mata himself is getting older. It’s worth noting that aged 32, the Spaniard will still make a positive impact when given the chance to play.

In a recent interview, though, the United star has admitted to his struggles with a bit-part role at the club. He claims that it’s not always easy to stay mentally and physically ready when you’re not starting game-in-game-out.

Check out what Juan Mata had to say about his United playing time here:

“I try to stay strong in my head, to train as best I can, to be physically and mentally ready every time someone calls me.” Mata told L’Equipe, transcribed by the Daily Star.

“Even if, of course, it’s not always easy to be so when you don’t play every game.”

Football is rhythmic. For the regular starters, they can play and train without overthinking things too much and just doing what they do best.

For the rotational options, it’s about working hard to break into the team, while being fully prepared to take that opportunity so you continue to be picked in starting line-ups.

Mentally, it’s tough to keep your mind fully-focused when you know you’re not a guaranteed starter, so I do have sympathy for Mata in that regard.

At the end of the day, Mata isn’t someone who is in it for the money. He just absolutely loves playing football and United cannot offer him that at the moment.

These comments lead me to believe that Mata is now starting to consider whether his long-term future lies away from Old Trafford. At this point, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see him leave at the season’s end, though a lot may well change between now and next summer…