Mata acknowledges United’s defeat by Wolves in the FA could dent the team’s spirit

Manchester United had hopes in the FA Cup but were done a great blow when they were bundled out of the cup by fiercely attacking Wolves leaving them with blurry hope in the UEFA League trophy.

Juan Mata thinks Manchester United’s “personality and spirit” will be tested after they suffered back-to-back defeats for the first time under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

United crashed out of the FA Cup at the quarter-final stage after losing 2-1 to Wolves at Molineux on Saturday night , less than a week on from their 2-0 defeat to Arsenal in the Premier League.

The losses serve as the first real test of Solskjaer’s United reign, which prior to them had only featured one defeat in 17 games.

And Mata knows that it is vital that United rediscover their form ahead of tougher tests to come.

“It hurts to say that Saturday’s defeat against Wolves was deserved, as it saw us head out of the FA Cup and you all know the hopes that we had riding on this competition, especially after progressing through some really tough knock-out ties,” Mata wrote in his blog.

“We fought until the very last minute but they were better than us and we have to accept it.

“These are the kinds of situations that put your personality and the spirit in the dressing room to the test, which is something we’ve talked about when we have been winning.

“I’m sure that we are going to leave this defeat behind and head towards the most important part of the season with our batteries fully charged after the international break. The time is approaching.”

Mata also cast an eye towards the upcoming Champions League quarter-final tie against Barcelona , who come to Old Trafford for the first leg on April 10.

“Obviously, it is a huge challenge, but this is what this club is made of, overcoming adversity, demanding a lot from yourself and wanting to win,” he wrote.

“As Barca are one of the toughest opponents in world football, we will have to put all of that into practice.

“For the boss, returning to Camp Nou will be very special, as well as for everyone who was there on that special night in May 1999.

“This tie will ask us to put in a huge effort, but we are ready to give our best to try to go through.

“In La Liga, Barca beat Real Betis, thanks to another masterclass from Lionel Messi, and we will have to hope that he isn’t so inspired when we play against them.”

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