Come on in and join the club! Get our daily Manchester United email newsletter Sign me up! Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Juan Mata has defended David Moyes and said the Manchester United manager cannot be held solely responsible for his disastrous first campaign in charge.

Moyes has endured a nightmare first season at Old Trafford, with reigning champions United currently in seventh spot and set to miss out on Champions League qualification for the first time in nearly 20 years.

Against that backdrop, Sir Alex Ferguson’s beleaguered successor has seen his position called into question by furious United fans less than a year after his move from Everton.

But Mata, who became United’s record signing in a £37.1million January from Chelsea, insists it would be wrong to point the finger at the 50-year-old Scot now - despite him presiding over the club’s worst-ever Premier League campaign.

The Spanish midfielder has called for the supporters disillusioned with Moyes to get behind him, and claims he has been assured there will be big-name arrivals this summer to restore the club to its former glories.

“We have to be together,” said Mata. “Now is not the time to blame anyone. Now is not the time to look for guilty people.

“Now is the time to stick together - with the manager, with his staff, the players and with the people on the board of the club. We need to carry on, to stay with the manager. We need to believe in him, because as players we know we have to improve.

“It’s not just the manager, it’s not just the tactics. It’s all of us. It’s not the time to blame one person. We are all together in this.

“Some of my friends told me if this situation was happening in another club in Spain it would be different, but the club and the players are behind the manager.

“We need to be strong as a team, as a dressing-room and keep working hard. We need to improve, we know it, but we need to do it together.”

(Image: Alex Livesey)

Mata said he knew he was joining a club in transition when he swapped Chelsea for United, and claimed he was fully prepared for a tough first few months at Old Trafford.

But the 25-year-old said he saw the bigger picture when making the switch to United, claiming a difficult season of change was a small price to pay for the prospect of long-term success.

“I knew these six months were going to be difficult,” said Mata. “Even before I came, things were difficult here, so I knew I wasn’t coming to a side that was going to win, win and win.

“But I knew as well that this club was going to come back and that the future was going to be bright.

“When I was in my situation at Chelsea, not playing, everyone I spoke with in football said, ‘Yeah, maybe Manchester United aren’t at their best this season - but it’s still Manchester United!'

"It’s not a team that’s just played one season in the Champions League and you’re going to a club that’s not top level. No, this will always be a top level club, one of the biggest in the world.

“So if you don’t play Champions League one season, you’ll play in it the next year, or you will still win trophies, because it’s what the club is about.

“I have no doubt about it. When I joined, in all my conversations with the board and the manager about next season, they were confident about getting the right players.

“They know, and I know, we’re in a transitional moment, but in the summer they’re going to try to sign a few players and I have the faith they are going to bring top players in.

“I’m sure this club is going to come back and fight for every trophy. Since I was a kid, Manchester United was fighting for everything, and this moment is going to come back for sure.

poll loading Will Man United contend for NEXT season's title? 32000+ VOTES SO FAR YES NO

“The club is in a transitional moment. They had Sir Alex Ferguson as the manager for the last 26 years, so I think it’s a big change for the club.

“I don’t know how many clubs in the world that have had the same manager for nearly 30 years - probably none. That was a unique situation.

“But we have to look forward to the future, and I have to say I think the future for this club will be bright, because it deserves the best.”

Mata has thrived when played in his favoured central role just off the main striker for United, scoring twice and making another in the 4-0 win at Newcastle a fortnight ago.

That was Mata’s last appearance, given he was cup-tied for the Champions League exit to Bayern Munich, and he admitted he wants to figure more often in the No.10 role.

“Since I came to England, at Valencia before that and when I was a kid, I played wherever,” said Mata. “On the right, on the left or in the No.10 role.

“But it’s true that last season, at Chelsea - which was my best in terms of goals and assists - I was playing just behind the striker, under Roberto Di Matteo and Rafa Benitez.

“I feel comfortable playing between the lines. I can play out wide, but I always try to come inside and play between the lines. That’s where I feel comfortable and help the team the most.”

* Unlock the Game by wearing the adidas Predator, a boot worn by Juan Mata. To join the conversation @adidasuk #unlockthegame. Visit adidas.com/football.