Juan Mata insists he is happy at Chelsea

Juan Mata insists he can still be a key player at Chelsea under Jose Mourinho, despite being benched by the returning Portuguese boss for nearly all of the new season so far.

The Spain playmaker was Chelsea's player of the year in both 2012 and 2013, but has been sidelined by Mourinho while the likes of Oscar, Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne fill Chelsea's attacking midfield spots.

Arsenal, Spurs and Paris Saint-Germain led the chase for Mata's signature this summer but the 25-year-old insists his future remains with Chelsea and that his absence from the team can be explained by a lack of fitness.


'I think it’s normal in every transfer window that there are lots of rumours but I’m happy here,' Mata told Chelsea TV.

'It’s been a very, very good two seasons for me here, maybe the best of my career, and what I want this season is the same.

'I’m looking forward to achieving as many trophies as we did the last two seasons and hopefully this is going to be a good season for us again.'

Mata has also been dropped from Spain's squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Finland on Friday, and admits he has struggled for fitness ever since pre-season.

The only match in which Mata has started this term was the 2-1 victory over Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on August 21, but he was hauled off after only 65 minutes.

But the former Valencia star suggested a thigh injury has prevented him from making an impact under Mourinho so far.

'My only aim is to play here, grow as a player and do as good a season as the last two which were amazing for me,' Mata added.

'These two seasons have flown by... but to me this is good because when you are enjoying things and you are happy, time goes quicker.

'I had four weeks off [ahead of pre-season training] and to be honest that’s too much time for me because in the last five or six years I didn’t have this sort of rest.

'But I’ve had plenty of rest and now I’m feeling really good. The best thing for me is to play because I love to play.'

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