Juan Mata lifts lid on Man United’s struggles following Swansea win

Juan Mata has insisted that Manchester United were only focused on working hard to return to winning ways during their difficult run of eight games without a victory.

Louis van Gaal’s men endured a difficult end to 2015 as they were dumped out of the Champions League at the group stage and then suffered a run of three straight Premier League defeats as they dropped out of the top four.

I hope this is going to be the start of a good run of results

Juan Mata

However, the Red Devils finally bounced back to winning ways when they secured a 2-1 win over Swansea City at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon thanks to goals from Anthony Martial and Wayne Rooney.

And Mata, who played the full 90 minutes against the Swans, has discussed how he and his team-mates were able to deal with the club’s dip in form.

Mata wrote on his blog on Kicca: “Many of you have asked about how we felt as the games went by and the team didn’t win.

“I have to say that our only thought was to work well day after day, stay focused and try to revert this situation. In our last game of 2015, against Chelsea, I think everybody saw what I’m talking about. There was dynamism, courage and energy although we couldn’t win.

“Finally, we did it on Saturday against Swansea. You could see how tough it was, but I think we deserved the three points. I hope this is going to be the start of a good run of results. It depends on us. They were a difficult opponent with good players who have made things tough for us in the last few seasons, but this time we were able to win so we start 2016 in the best possible way.

“The Christmas period is gone now after three games in seven days and we have a full week ahead to prepare the FA Cup game against Sheffield United. It’s a good time to take a break and remain calm after such a busy calendar.”

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United’s win over Swansea lifted the Red Devils up to fourth place in the Premier League table and three points behind fourth-placed Tottenham.