Friday, October 16, 2015

Mata wants United to prove their worth

Juan Mata has called on his Manchester United team-mates to conquer a red-hot October schedule that will have a major bearing on their hopes of winning the Premier League.
United have not hit peak form consistently this season and yet sit just two points off the top of the Premier League ahead of Saturday's tricky trip to Everton.
They might have gone into the
international break as leaders had they not collapsed to a 3-0 defeat at Arsenal in their last match, a performance described by their baffled manager Louis van Gaal as their worst since he took charge at the club in July 2014.
For van Gaal, that Arsenal loss was the start of a testing run of fixtures that continues at Goodison Park.
His team face a long trip to Russia to face CSKA Moscow in the Champions League on Wednesday, then leaders Manchester City visit Old Trafford next Sunday before United travel to in-form Crystal Palace.
Van Gaal has a number of injury concerns - most notably with his captain Wayne Rooney, who sat out England's wins over Estonia and Lithuania because of an ankle problem.
Bastian Schweinsteiger suffered a thigh injury in training while on international duty with Germany and will be assessed, as will fellow midfielder Michael Carrick who, like Rooney, missed both England matches during the international break.
Defender Marcos Rojo withdrew from the Argentina squad for recent World Cup qualifiers against Ecuador and Paraguay with the hamstring trouble that has kept him out of United's last four matches.
Centre-back Paddy McNair will definitely be unavailable, having only just been released from a Helsinki hospital, where he spent three nights after rupturing his liver during Northern Ireland's 1-1 draw in Finland last Sunday.
Spanish midfielder Mata, though, feels United will have underlined their title credentials if they can cope with the tests that lie ahead.
"We have to get ready for a few games that are going to be tough and thrilling," Mata said.
"October is meant to be a very difficult month and we must be ready for it."

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