Manchester United have to win the FA Cup in honour of the club’s former manager Alex Ferguson, who is in hospital after undergoing emergency surgery, Juan Mata has said.
United confirmed on Saturday the 76-year-old is recovering from a brain haemorrhage after a procedure that went “very well”, with no further medical updates released since.
Messages of support for Ferguson and his family have been sent from around the world of football, with the Scot considered one of the greatest managers in the history of the sport.
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And Mata says United, who face Chelsea in the FA Cup final at Wembley on May 19, must fight to win the competition for Ferguson.
“This Saturday, all of us were overwhelmed by the news about Sir Alex Ferguson’s health condition,” Mata wrote in his weekly blog on the United website.
“This circumstance has had a huge impact on Manchester United, as you can imagine. All of us are united right now, wishing Sir Alex a speedy recovery. He has been a unique and fundamental figure in the football world over the last few decades.
“I’ve never been coached by him, unfortunately, yet I know well his incomparable legacy on this club, that winning mentality and fighting gene that we must honour in the last three games of the season, especially in the FA Cup final.
“To achieve that, we are going to work hard while we eagerly await good news about Sir Alex’s recovery.”