Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata has given an honest account of why the club did not mount a serious challenge for the Premier League title. The Spaniard was an integral part of Jose Mourinho’s squad last term but in his blog, published by The Manchester Evening News, he cites the lack of “consistency and effectiveness” as the main reasons the Red Devils finished in a disappointing sixth place.
 

He explained that; “We won the Community Shield right after the pre-season, we lifted the EFL Cup trophy in London, in a very special game for me, and of course the final in Sweden. But we are aware of our lack of consistency and effectiveness in the Premier League that prevented us from fighting for the title, which is what Manchester United is supposed to do.”
 

“Personally, I have played over 40 games once again. “It’s true that I was injured for a month and a half, something that had never happened before in my career, but at the end I was able to enjoy again what I like the most and I finished the season happy.”

I want more, of course, but I’m happy and proud of what we have done along the way. Next season we will play the Champions League, which is what this club deserves and where we all want to be.” He finished by commenting on last week’s atrocity in Manchester which claimed the lives of 22 people and how it made the club more determined to land the Europa League prize in Stockholm;
 

““Obviously the atmosphere was very special due to the terrible attacks in Manchester just two days before the final,” But that circumstance, instead of making us weak, gave us more courage to try to win and offer the title to the city, something to celebrate and to cheer up many people, at least for a few hours.”
 

“I’ll never forget the reactions that we’ve seen all these days everywhere in the city (union, solidarity, respect, and many more values that make Manchester such a special place), and the ability of football to bring people together, to help, to contribute, beyond rivalries and tensions.”