“He is instrumental”: Former United star Mata pinpoints player who is vital for club’s future

Former Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata has spoken of the importance of Bruno Fernandes to the team.

The Spaniard, who was recently awarded an MBE, played 285 times for United, scoring 51 goals.

He was speaking to The Times about a new art exhibition in Manchester he is involved in named, “Football City, Art United” where visitors can “experience collaborations between 11 artists and 11 footballers.”

The exhibition is created to encourage visitors to consider the pressure of fame by “picking out at random a member of the public and placing them under a constant spotlight as they explore the art space.”

Mata also touched on his time at United in the interview and he lavished praise on playing regularly at a stadium like Old Trafford.

He stated, “for me, the tunnel at Old Trafford has always been really special. I mean, it’s that beautiful stadium, the Theatre of Dreams, and you’re there every two weeks walking through that tunnel and getting to a pitch where you know there’s going to be 75,000 people.”

The popular Spaniard also spoke on United’s present and despite the poor results of last season, he remains optimistic over his old side’s future.

Commenting on the manager Ruben Amorim he claimed, “I like the coach [Ruben Amorim], a young coach with a lot of positivity and energy, and hopefully he can turn things around.”

He also spoke about Ineos’ partial takeover of United and claimed despite the challenges of trying to “create financial sustainability” the team “can really grow on the pitch. That’s what I would love. I love the club.”

Mata then turned his attention to one of his former teammates and close friends, Bruno Fernandes.

The Portuguese international was on the cusp of leaving the club earlier in the summer but decided to turn down a lucrative offer from Al Hilal for his services.

Commenting on Fernandes he opined, “I speak a lot with Bruno [Fernandes], who is a very enthusiastic player. And when things are not going well, he suffers a lot. So, I hope that this year is the year where things can be a bit more stable on the pitch and they can really build and bring United where I believe they should be, which is fighting for the biggest trophies there are.”

The Western Sydney Wanderers player also commented on speculation that Fernandes does not fit directly into Amorim’s preferred system.

He elaborated, “I think if Bruno doesn’t fit into any system, you should create a system in which he can fit because he is just so good as a player and as a person, as a leader. I think he is instrumental for Man United.”

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