Things weren't always this bad: Juan Mata takes a tour of the Manchester United Museum to remember the glory days

The January signing took his first visit to the museum since joining from Chelsea

Juan Mata pictured taking a tour of the Manchester United Museum (MANCHESTER UNITED)

Juan Mata took a recent visit to the Mecnhester United Museum to swot up on the club's history.

Having joined in January in a £37.1m deal from Chelsea, the Spaniard arrived at a time of discontent in the red half of Manchester.

With the club losing successive home Premier League games to their two greatest rivals Liverpool and Manchester City, a sense of gloom and frustration is growing around Old Trafford.

With the club seventh in the Premier League and facing Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, David Moyes look certain to end the season without any success.

For a club used to challenging for the Premier League title and picking up trophies on a consistent basis, it's a difficult time. So for Mata a trip to the museum for a timely reminder was very welcome.

"I wanted to know more about the history of the club, the trophies United have won and all the players who have played here," said the Spaniard. "It's great to know those things and I think every player who arrives at a new club should know about the history of the club and what it means to play here.

"From the outside you can see how big the club is but it's only when you're inside and you come to somewhere like the Museum that you really realise how big it is. It was really important for me to come here [the Museum]."

Mata's personal visit comes as Manchester United announced free admission to fans throughout March has been extended to the end of April as a 'thank you' to supporters.

According to Manchester United, Mata apparently paid "particular attention to the story of how United first won the European Cup with a side that featured club legends like Sir Bobby Charlton, George Best and Denis Law in 1968.

"He also spent time examining exhibits from United's next Champions League win in 1999 when David Beckham, Gary Neville, Ryan Giggs, Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer were part of an incredible last minute comeback to snatch the famous trophy from the hands of rivals Bayern Munich."