Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has confirmed Juan Mata may have already played his final game of the season with the creative midfielder not expected to return to full fitness until the end of May, reports BBC Sport.
Mata hasn’t featured for United since their 3-1 win away to Middlesbrough midway through March after undergoing a hernia operation at the end of last month but had initially hoped to return to first-team action at the end of this month.
It would have been a huge boost for United to have one of their best players available towards the end of their hectic April schedule but Mourinho has confirmed Mata is now unlikely to take part again this season.
Mata wasn’t even expected to still be at the club let alone be one of their most important players at this stage of Mourinho’s first season at Old Trafford but he had formed a superb partnership with right-back Antonio Valencia prior to injury.
In fact, Mata is the only United player to hit double figures for goals across all competitions other than Zlatan Ibrahimovic this season. With the final game of the season on 21 May and the Europa League final three days later, should United make it, Mata may not appear for the club again this season.
For more stats on Juan Mata, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
