Manchester United's Spanish star Juan Mata has revealed that the club's trip to Dubai this week has allowed the whole squad to recharge their batteries as well as provide United's most expensive player with the opportunity to further bond with his new team-mates.
Writing on his personal blog, 'One hour behind', Mata explained: "The reason for being here is that, following our game against Arsenal, since we didn’t have any fixture scheduled on the weekend, the club thought a few days of work far from Manchester would be good for us, in order to recharge our batteries with a view to the final stage of the season."
Mata, who signed for United from Premier League rivals Chelsea last month, has shouldered a great deal of expecation since his AED227,786,237 move to Manchester and he was obviously glad to get to grips with the club's training methods, adding: "Personally, these days are good for me to settle even more in the team and share these moments with my team mates.
"And also, obviously, to train hard and get used to the new working patterns after just three weeks in the club."
United are a club in high demand wherever they are in the world and their trip to Dubai proved no different with players and staff expected to fulfill various duties during their warm-weather break with fans, sponsors and press all desperate to get access to one of the world's biggest teams. And, while the press may have been kept at some distance during the trip (Sport360° can vouch for this), Mata was happy to have seen UAE fans and explore a little of the country during his visit.
"These are long days, with training sessions and events with sponsors," writes Mata.
"We spend a lot of time together but there is free time too, so I can discover this country and its culture."
"This kind of breaks always help to make the group even stronger and to switch off a bit from the different competitions and the tight schedule. Also, it’s amazing to see how many fans the club has around the world."
Such is the pulling power of United that Mata and his team-mates were also visited by Argentine legend and Dubai Sports Council ambassador Diego Maradonna while training yesterday with the team's players taking to their respective social media accounts with shots of them posing with the man regarded as one of the greatest ever footballers.
United and Mata must now head back to the rather cooler Manchester climate hoping that their trip to Dubai can reignite the reigning Premier League champions' campaign as they desperately seek a turnaround in their fortunes on the pitch.
You can view our image gallery of Maradona's day with United, here: http://www.sport360.com/gallery/football/18999/diego-maradona-meets-man-utd-stars-during-dubai-trip.
