Manchester United creator-en-chief Juan Mata is trying to force through a new deal before Jose Mourinho replaces Louis van Gaal, according to The Daily Star, via The Daily Mirror.
Mourinho is widely expected to replace Van Gaal at the end of the season and Mata, who still has more than two years left to run on his current deal, wants assurances about his long-term future before the former Chelsea manager takes over.
The 27-year-old’s Chelsea career came to end when Mourinho returned to Stamford Bridge for his second stint after deeming the ponderous Spaniard surplus to requirements in 2014.
Mata has often been a figure of frustration for United fans since he made the £37.1m switch from Chelsea to Old Trafford in January 2014 and was shown the first red card in his professional career in their 1-0 defeat to West Brom last weekend.
However, despite his flaws and seemingly appearing out of character with United’s typical traditions of fast and direct football, he has still proven to be their main creative outlet. In fact, no United player has created more chances in the league than Mata since his arrival (124).
For more stats on Juan Mata, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
