Mata's Reflections And Aspirations

Juan Mata has picked out Manchester United's success in the UEFA Europa League as his personal highlight of 2017.

The Reds beat Ajax 2-0 in Stockholm to win the competition for the first time and complete the club's set of major trophies. It was the second honour of the calendar year for Jose Mourinho's men, who lifted the League Cup by seeing off Southampton 3-2 in February's Wembley final.

Reflecting on the last 12 months before Saturday’s draw against the Saints, the Spaniard told MUTV it has been a great year for the club and revealed that our European triumph was the most memorable moment for him.

“I think it’s been a good year,” he said. “If you talk about games and trophies, we won two trophies in 2017 – the League Cup and the Europa League, which obviously gave us the chance to play in the Champions League. It was a great night in Sweden.

“I think the Europa League final [was my highlight]. I couldn’t play for a month before the final and did my best to get fit to play. I played and we won, so that night in Sweden was very special and it will always be in my memory.

“It was a tough week after the attack in Manchester but at least we could make people feel happier for some hours and that’s what this club is all about – trying to play good football and trying to win and we did it twice this year. Hopefully 2018 can be better.”

This year also saw Mata launch his charitable movement, Common Goal, to which footballers donate one per cent of their salaries to help good causes across the world.

The midfielder feels it’s been a great success so far and hopes it will develop even more in the year ahead.

“I think it’s fantastic and it’s a nice movement from professional football to everyone really,” Mata said. “2017 has been the year where we launched it and hopefully 2018 will be better and we can bring more people with us.

“But I have to say that in the first few months, the reception and the commitment has been great – we have 34 members who have shown great personality and courage to be leaders, in a way. We are so happy and we’re just trying to help people through our love for our sport, which is football.”

The Reds begin 2018 with a Premier League trip to Everton, followed by Friday's Emirates FA Cup third-round tie against Derby County. And there are the UEFA Champions League knockout stages to look forward to, with a two-legged tie against Sevilla to come in the weeks ahead.

Mata is hoping for a successful year ahead – both for him and the club.

When asked about his aspirations for 2018, he added: “I’m looking forward to 2018. I’m hoping for a good year again, to stay healthy and fit to play football, to win some trophies with United, to help more people fulfil Common Goal – so it’s a big year coming up.

“We need to keep thinking about ourselves, keep winning and let’s see where we are. But we have the FA Cup and the Champions League, so it’s an exciting year ahead.”