Juan Mata Manchester United 2018-19Getty Images

Man Utd flying but Mata admits Solskjaer's resurgent side 'want more'

Juan Mata admits Manchester United “want more” after stretching a record-setting run under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to seven successive wins.

The Red Devils were going nowhere fast prior to making a change in the dugout back in December.

Jose Mourinho was relieved of his duties and replaced by Solskjaer, who returned to Old Trafford on an interim basis.

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He has enjoyed a dream start to life at the helm, and is yet to suffer a setback of any kind, but there is a desire within the squad he has inherited to achieve even more.

Mata wrote on his personal blog after seeing United edge out Brighton 2-1 on home soil: “We continue on our good run of results.

“To win seven games from a possible seven is not a simple task in any way, so we are proud and happy with how things have gone in recent weeks. But we want more.

“We know that we are on the right track, but the most important part of the season is still ahead of us.

“We have to continue in the same way if we want to achieve our targets, and we are all motivated to make the coming months very positive ones.”

“As I’ve said, the win against Brighton on Saturday was our seventh in a row. We battled through at the end, to be honest, but I believe it was deserved.

“When you’re on a good run, there are games that you win which otherwise, in other circumstances, you might have ended up drawing.

“We played with energy and the desire to keep on improving. We started out by making it 2-0, thanks to a penalty from Paul [Pogba] and a great goal from [Marcus] Rashford.

Marcus Rashford Manchester United Brighton 190119Getty

“Marcus is a truly special player. He already is, and is going to continue to be, a very important player for club and country and it is a pleasure to see his progression up close.

“He’s also a great lad, with his mind focused on the important things and extraordinary physical attributes. He has everything to keep on growing without slowing down, and he deserves to.”

The big games keeping on coming for United, who are now just three points adrift of the Premier League’s top four.

They sit level on points with Arsenal just outside the Champions League spots, with the Gunners providing their next opposition in a heavyweight FA Cup fourth round clash.

Mata added: “Now we’re looking ahead and, on Friday evening, the FA Cup returns with a very tough clash away against Arsenal.

“The Emirates is a spectacular stadium, it is always tough to play there, and this time the game is important given that we are playing to go through in a competition which, as you all know, is very important to us.

“Our opponent just beat Chelsea and will, therefore, be in a good place in terms of confidence, but we intend to keep pressing on in the cup.”

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