Spanish international midfielder Juan Mata has signed a new one-year contract until 2019 at Manchester United after the club activated a clause to extend his contract.

On Mata’s contract extension, Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho said: “Mata is very important. When I arrived one-and-a-half years ago, [they said], ‘Mata is in trouble, in trouble, in trouble’, and now he’s getting an extension of one more year. An important player for me; important player for the club; important player for the other players.”

Speaking about the new development to the Manchester United website, Mata said: “I still feel very happy and very proud to be part of this club.”

“I think everyone that belongs to Manchester United should feel privileged, and that’s how I feel.

“I’m happy with everyone at the club and, obviously, with the manager and my team-mates. Once you are part of this club, your football career is not the same; it changes, because this is one of the biggest clubs in football history. Every day I try to tell myself how lucky and how privileged I am, try to take advantage of every single training session, and try to see how important it is to be a Manchester United player.” he added.

Speaking further, Mata said: “At eight, ten, twelve years old, I never imagined that I would play for such a club,”

“I remember the big players – Scholes, Giggs, Beckham, Van Nistelrooy, Ferdinand, Vidic – and it felt so far from where I was playing, but now I’m here it’s a special feeling.

“We have had so many new players during my four years, but now we know each other and understand each other better. We are creating a kind of stability that I believe is needed to build and to create a positive consistency in terms of getting results and getting trophies.” he concluded.