Juan Mata has defined his position in the Manchester United side and outlined his responsibilities.
The Spaniard is the cover star of the new Inside United after providing an in-depth interview for the official magazine, with renowned artist Stanley Chow supplying unique illustrations of the Spaniard and his colleagues.
Variously described as a midfielder, forward and attacker, Mata was asked by the official magazine to accurately pin down his role.
"Let’s say offensive midfielder," he said. "But, obviously, I am playing more now on the right-wing, when I try to come inside and create space for my team-mates, and with the overlaps of Matteo [Darmian], Antonio [Valencia] or Ashley [Young], it makes things easier for me.
"And you know, it’s this kind of freedom that allows me to be in touch with the ball, that’s where I feel comfortable. As much time as I have the ball, I feel better and I feel that my game grows and that’s what I try to do. I consider myself as this kind of attacking midfielder, trying to find the gaps between the opposition midfielders and defenders and produce what the team needs between the lines."
Mata also spoke about a number of tactical matters, including detailed analysis of his and the free-scoring Reds' playing style, and he had a word about the Premier League in general.
The 29-year-old, who opened his account for the campaign against Crystal Palace last time out, was asked if providing an assist was as rewarding as scoring a goal.
"No, and I think whoever says that is lying to you," he replied. "The most important and the better feeling in football, for me, is scoring a goal. Obviously, when you’ve made a great assist and you’ve put your striker just in front of the goal to put the ball in the net is a great feeling, but obviously the best feeling is to score yourself."
Read the full interview with Juan in the new special edition of Inside United, out now.
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