Juan Mata believes that the Manchester derby comes in a less than ideal situation, but insists he and his teammates are looking forward to the game.
United go into the game 16 points behind league leaders Manchester City, knowing that if they are defeated, that it will confirm what we have known for months, that Manchester City are the new champions of England.
Writing in his weekly blog, Mata said: “This week we will keep working on a game that many people are already talking about. Of course, I mean the derby against City.
“This game doesn’t come in an ideal situation, for there’s quite a gap of points between the two of us, but we all know that it’s a special game.
“We’re looking forward to playing against them and having a good performance. That’s what our fans deserve.”
The Spaniard also paid tribute to United striker Romelu Lukaku, who scored his 100th Premier League goal in the 2-0 win over Swansea at Old Trafford.
“The victory against Swansea was important because we got the three points and we clearly deserved to win,”
“In particular, I’d like to congratulate Romelu Lukaku for his 100th goal in the Premier League.
“Reaching that number of goals at the age of 24 is something truly exceptional that only the great goalscorers can achieve.
“I’m especially happy for Romelu because his work for the team doesn’t reflect only through his goals. He is a great guy and he deserves it.”