Last summer, Juan Mata had an opportunity to leave Manchester United as a free agent.
He was linked with a handful of clubs and Barcelona were credited with an interest in the 31-year-old.
However, the attacking midfielder ended the speculation and committed his future to the Red Devils by signing a new contract in June 2019.
The former Chelsea star’s current deal at Old Trafford lasts until 2021 and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side retain an option to further extend his stay by a year.
Mata is represented by his father, Juan Manuel Mata Rodríguez, and the latter has given an interview to VIP Deportivo.
When asked if Solskjaer’s man is a ‘footballer with the Barca DNA’ and if there was a formal approach from the Catalan club for the United player, Juan Mata Sr said: “Indeed, as he is a player who has a DNA very similar to that [Barcelona’s style] football.
“I agree with the Spanish national team, with colleagues of that style, because there were three occasions to sign for Barcelona,” he said.
“The first one was when he was at Valencia. Then when he was transferred to Chelsea, they also thought of Juan and there was a third one recently where there were also possibilities.
“However, in all of them, Juan was lucky that he was in big clubs. This did not give that circumstance [to leave] because, thank God, he was in very important clubs.”
When quizzed how his son is at United and if Mata Jr is loved by the club and their fans, his father explained: “Well yes. Upon arrival he was quite important because at that time he was the most important transfer in the history of Manchester United. He had a welcome, arrived by helicopter at the training centre and it was quite an event.
“And after that, staying in a team as big as Manchester United, he’s spent six seasons at the highest level, playing at least 30 games per year and next to those teammates who are proud to see who they have played with. Juan is a player who is entering United’s history and has won titles.”
