Man Utd's Mata: Bruno is football sick, sometimes I have to tell him to shut up!

Juan Mata says Bruno Fernandes is "sick" about football and talks about the game too much.

The Portuguese midfielder has been one of the stars of the season for the Red Devils, scoring 10 goals and registering six assists in the Premier League.

But the campaign has been a disappointing one for the Old Trafford team, who are set to finish sixth in the top-flight as they visit Crystal Palace in the last game of the season.

What has Mata said about Fernandes?

Mata says the United players discuss how to get better results and Fernandes is one of the most vocal about the game.

“Bruno is football sick. Sometimes I tell him: ‘You’re too heavy, shut up!’," Mata told The Athletic.

"With Bruno I speak a lot about football, he knows a lot of players, he knows everything, kind of like Ander Herrera was."

Mata calls for change in Man Utd culture

Mata is not happy with the way his side have performed this season and insists United deserve better.

He feels that the club's culture must be "reset" in order for them to get back to the level they aspire to reach.

He said: “It’s clear that on the pitch, we have made many mistakes. We could have also dealt better with certain situations that were happening in the club, managers changing, negative things.

"At the end of the day, we let that maybe affect too much the energy of Carrington.

“Certain standards were not met. Whether that’s attitude, level of training, off the pitch, which doesn’t include players, we haven’t been good enough.

"So that’s where we could learn. Also, certain things were out of our control, which we shouldn’t let affect us.

"You feel that way when you see certain things are not good enough. But we shouldn’t have let things happen.

“Many circumstances can affect certain behaviours. If you don’t have a solid base, when bad things come, it is difficult to stay all together.

“We need a reset in the culture of the club. That’s how I feel. The standards, what it means to represent this club to any player, what entitles you to play for Manchester United, what is expected on the pitch and off the pitch.

"Many things that need to be clear — this is Manchester United and anyone who doesn’t meet those standards is not up to the task and should not be here. That’s as clear as I can be."

Further reading

• The 'elite sleep coach' used by Pep, Poch, Ferguson & Wenger
• Mourinho on becoming 'Roma's own Alex Ferguson'
• Departing Matic says Man Utd players are ‘doing their best’