Juan Mata: XI of his greatest teammates is incredible

Juan Mata is set to leave Manchester United this summer with his contract at Old Trafford coming to an end, according to the Daily Mail.

The 33-year-old agreed a 12-month extension on his contract last summer but will become a free agent if he doesn’t sign a new deal.

He’s yet to make an appearance in the Premier League this season, playing just four times across the Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup.

It looks set to be a sad end to Mata’s United career – the team he joined in January 2013 from Chelsea for a then club-record £37.1 million.

During his career, Mata has played alongside some incredible players – whether that’s for Valencia, Chelsea, Man Utd or his national side, Spain.

He’s won trophies everywhere he’s been – including a Champions League, the European Championships and a World Cup.

Therefore, picking his XI of greatest teammates must have been a real challenge.

But that was the task he was set back in February 2020, which has been republished by FourFourTwo on the back of news that he’s set to leave Manchester United.

Let’s take a look and who he picked – and why:

“David is a very good friend, and also the most talented goalkeeper that I’ve ever played with – his reactions are amazing. Every goalkeeping coach will tell you his natural ability is unbelievable.”

“At Chelsea, he could play at right-back or centre-back and be excellent in either position. He was strong, very difficult to beat one-on-one – and even effective at the other end of the pitch, too.”

“He had the next locker to me at United and was a great help when I first arrived. Rio was a leader, and his positioning on the pitch was always right. He was very comfortable with the ball at his feet and good in the air as well.”

“A top header