Mata's 2 European Missions For 2016

Juan Mata has multiple targets for the new year, from helping Manchester United to climb the league table to winning European trophies with both club and country. As a previous winner of both the Europa League and the European Championships, the Reds' no.8 knows what's required to make 2016 a great year...

One of the trophies you won with your previous club was the Europa League. How does that success rank among your achievements in football so far?
It was important. Obviously it’s not the Champions League, which is probably the most important, but I’ve been lucky enough to win both. It was a great season [when Chelsea won the Europa League]. We got knocked out from the group stage in the Champions League and finally we won the Europa League. We [United] obviously had a big disappointment a few weeks ago in Wolfsburg but we can convert that into a trophy, so we’ll try to do it - it’s a good feeling to lift a trophy!

So from your experience at Chelsea, will you be looking to encourage your United team-mates that it can be done?
It can be done. When one door closes, another opens. Obviously it’s not the same because it’s not the Champions League but it’s another trophy and we’ll do our best.

Our first Europa League match will be away to Midtjylland. Have you played in Denmark before?
I have, I did it in a competition with the Spanish national team's Under-21s and we won the trophy, so it was a good memory for me. I also played there in the Champions League with Chelsea [against Nordsjaelland in the 2012/13 group stage]. But we will try to win. Obviously they are facing Manchester United and they will try their very best because it’s probably the game of their careers. Of course, Midtjylland will give 150 per cent, so we'll have to be careful with that.

You have so much football to look forward to in the new year, including the Euro 2016 finals in France. What do you think of Spain’s draw - Czech Republic, Turkey and Croatia?
I think it’s a difficult group. We are up against good countries, good rivals and we’ll try to be at our best level to try to qualify. Obviously Spain is one of the teams who should be fighting for the trophy, as we did in the last two European Championships, but there is still a long time until that tournament and we still have to do well for Manchester United during the season. Hopefully we can have a great second half of the season and then think about Euro 2016, but it’s a difficult group we are in.

Will you feel any pressure being favourites to win the tournament, or is that just normal now?
It’s been like this, to be fair, in the last few years since Luis Aragones was in charge and we won Euro 2008 - and then we went to the World Cup with Vicente Del Bosque and won that. We went to the next Euros and we won again so it’s been a few very successful years and hopefully we’ll try to carry on with this good form.

What does it mean to you to now have David De Gea involved with the national squad?
He is one of the best goalkeepers in the world so I am very happy for him that he’s been playing more for Spain in the last years. He is still very young so he will have a lot of time to earn a lot of caps for Spain. He is a very good goalkeeper, a world-class talent, and he will help us.

And would you love to have another United team-mate, Ander Herrera, in the squad as well?
Yes, of course. I think he is showing to everyone how good he is. Since he came to the club he’s been doing great. He's been a bit unlucky with some injuries but he has the quality and the abilities to play great football for Manchester United and that can take him to the national team.

Obviously we look back and we also look forward at this time of year. First of all, how do you reflect on 2015 for yourself and the team?
For me, it was good. I was lucky enough to not have any serious injuries, which is the worst thing you can have in football. Touch wood, I didn’t have them. Obviously we qualified for the Champions League in this year. That was the biggest objective of the club in the last season.

And do you have a best goal of the year? Could it be that second goal at Anfield…
Yes, I think so, it has to be that goal!

Finally, what are you hoping for in 2016?
Hopefully it will be a good year for every one of us, for the club, for the supporters, and we will be able to celebrate something.