Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has praised the qualities of midfielder Juan Mata while enclosing that he had been interested in signing him for Barcelona many years ago. The Spain international is currently in the ranks of Manchester United, but his future remains doubtful with his contract due to expire at the end of the season. Speaking in a news conference, Guardiola spoke highly about the former Valencia man and revealed that the Blaugrana were monitoring the Spaniard during his time at the Mestalla, he said: “He’s an exceptional player. One of the players I like the most – not