Juan Mata already knows his Manchester United replacement ahead of summer exit

Juan Mata has already made it clear that Bruno Fernandes is his perfect replacement ahead of the Spaniard's likely exit this summer.

Mata has been a United player for over eight years after he arrived in a shock £40million transfer from Chelsea in January 2014. The playmaker went on to become a fan favourite thanks to his elegance and class on the pitch, notching up 51 goals and 47 assists in his 280 appearances to date.

However, it appears that his time in Manchester will finally come to an end following the conclusion of the season. Mata signed a 12-month extension last summer, but now his contract is once again coming to an end and a new one seems unlikely this time.

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Despite always looking sharp when given rare minutes, Mata has hardly had a sniff this season and has played just 225 minutes of football over eight appearances. The 33-year-old's playing time has been on a steady decline ever since Fernandes was signed from Sporting in January 2019 and instantly became one of the club's most important players.

In his first half-season alone the Portuguese star grabbed 20 goal contributions in 22 games and, even though his output has slowed somewhat this season as United have struggled, he already has 49 goals and 39 assists for the club in just 121 matches. It's unsurprising that Mata, or any other attacking midfielder, hasn't struggled for game time since.

United effectively replaced Mata years before his expected departure and he even identified Fernandes as the perfect man to do so himself. When asked about the exit of his close friend and compatriot Ander Herrera back in 2020, Mata admitted that he missed the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder but that