Juan Mata has given a damning verdict on Manchester United's season as he prepares to end his eight-and-a-half year stint at Old Trafford.
The Spanish international, who was a club record signing when he joined from Chelsea in January 2014, is out of contract at the end of the current campaign. He is poised to leave after a season in which he didn't feature at all in the Premier League until April and will be making only his 12th appearance in all competitions if he features at Crystal Palace in the final game of the campaign.
Plenty of United players have given brutally honest assessments of the club's season as they go into the closer knowing they will finish with their worst ever Premier League points tally. Goalkeeper David de Gea has spoken about feeling "embarrassed" by some of United's defeats, and his compatriot has now gone even further in running the rule over United's season.
Speaking to The Athletic, Mata insisted United "needs first-class individuals for each department" to stand any chance of competing with those at the top of the English game. The Red Devils go into the final weekend of the season some 32 points behind league leaders Manchester City, and 10 adrift of Tottenham Hotspur in fourth, and exited all three cup competitions long before the business end.
“That’s what I hope for in the near future, otherwise you cannot compete with clubs who are doing very good things with a certain identity and professionalism in the way they make decisions," he said. "They are getting the results they deserve because of doing the right things."
The 34-year-old has spoken about the "many mistakes" made by the club, who were eliminated from Europe by Atletico Madrid and knocked out of the domestic cups by West Ham United and Middlesbrough. He suggested United need "a reset in the culture of the club" while pointing to issues which have plagued them this season under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick.
Do you agree with Mata? Have your say in the comments section
![](https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article27027449.ece/ALTERNATES/s810/0_Manchester-United-v-Brentford-Premier-League-Old-Trafford.jpg)
“Certain standards were not met," Mata continued. "Whether that’s attitude, level of training, off the pitch, which doesn’t include players, we haven’t been good enough.
"So that’s where we could learn. Also, certain things were out of our control, which we shouldn’t let affect us. You feel that way when you see certain things are not good enough. But we shouldn’t have let things happen.
“Many circumstances can affect certain behaviours. If you don’t have a solid base, when bad things come, it is difficult to stay all together."
![](https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article27027469.ece/ALTERNATES/s810/0_Vitesse-v-Ajax-Dutch-Eredivisie.jpg)
New manager Erik ten Hag is expected to have a tough task ahead of him as he aims to put United back on track next season. The Dutchman has already arrived earlier than planned, and is set to be present for the final league game of the season, with the size of the job at hand playing a part in his decision.
The club sat well outside the Champions League places when their last permanent manager, Solskjaer, was dismissed in November. Results briefly improved under interim manager Rangnick, with suggestions a top four finish could be achievable, but then tailed off dramatically to leave United unable to match the low of 63 points they recorded in 2013-14.
"There is a lot of work to do there (United). That is the case with every club," Ten Hag said after Ajax's title win, confirming he would not be joining his colleagues in Curacao after the success. "A number of things still need to be organised in the staff and also in the selection."