Ex-Man Utd & Chelsea star Juan Mata set to extend stay in Australia despite nightmare spell as benchwarmer with Western Sydney Wanderers

Mata is set to be offered a one-year contract extension by the A-League club despite playing very sparingly since joining the in September. The former Chelsea and Manchester United star has primarily been used as a substitute for a side that still has hope of winning the A-League title.

The Daily Mail reports the Wanderers have offered Mata an extension, even though he has made only seven starts and scored one goal following his celebrated arrival in Australian football. Mata is said to want to continue his career, but it is not clear if he wishes to remain in the A-League.

Wanderers are fifth in the A-League table with two games remaining, with the top six set to qualify for the Finals series. That means Mata has the chance to add another title to his glittering list of honours. The 2012 Champions League winner and two-time Europa League winner won the Turkish Super Lig with Galatasaray in 2022-23 and then was given a medal for Vissel Kobe’s J-League triumph despite playing just once for the club.

A return to Europe or Asia are possibilities for Mata, who has at least two more games for Wanderers before he will have to make a decision about whether to extend his stay with the club.