Outgoing Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata has admitted that he is excited about the club's future under new manager Erik ten Hag.
Ten Hag, who was installed as the club's new permanent manager back in April, faces the challenge of trying to bring success back to the surrounding streets of Old Trafford following a forgettable 2021/22 campaign under both Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick. The Dutchman, poached from Ajax, has arrived in England with a reputation for winning silverware and getting his teams to play a good brand of football.
However, significant changes must be made at United this summer to give him the best chance of proving successful. The club has already announced that six players will leave the club when their contracts expire on June 30, including the likes of Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard and Mata.
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Their departures, as well as those of Lee Grant, Nemanja Matic and Edinson Cavani, will free up spaces within the squad for new recruits to be added to the ranks. But regardless of what happens over the coming weeks in the transfer window, Mata is optimistic about United's future in Ten Hag's care.
"I'm very excited," Mata told United's club website, when addressing the club's future under the Dutchman. "A new era, with a new manager with his own ideas.
"A manager who has played brilliant football with Ajax, winning many trophies and playing with style – which I think this club is about. Of course I wish him the very best, nothing else but enjoyment and success for the fans in terms of winning games and trophies.
"I think it's exciting times for everyone. A new start and hopefully this time it's going to be a very successful one and very long-lasting."
United, who will discover their 2022/23 Premier League fixture list next week, will be striving to succeed under Ten Hag, particularly after five seasons without a single trophy. With that in mind, Mata has stressed the importance of United approaching this new era as a collective unit.
The midfielder added: "There is no other way to try to compete and win than by being all together towards one goal.
"Over the last eight years while I've been here we've had some good and bad moments, but I think of the many personalities that we've had and we have, the great moments we've had together, the difficult moments we've got through and I'm proud of those experiences and the fact that I always tried the best I could in every single moment for this club."
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