Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata has admitted that while his team's FA Cup third-round win over Sheffield United was "not the greatest in the world", he believes that the players deserve credit.

The Red Devils have only won twice in their last 10 games in all competitions - a 2-1 triumph over Swansea City in the Premier League and Saturday's 1-0 win over the Blades.

This week, the team will face Newcastle United and arch rivals Liverpool amid reports that manager Louis van Gaal will get sacked if both of those games end in defeat for United.

In his latest blog post, Mata said: "It's true that the FA Cup game was not the greatest in the world, but right now, after some complicated weeks we have gone through, I think we have to give credit to each of our victories.

"It's not easy to find spaces when you play against teams with so many players defending near the box, but we know we must play better and we will keep having good results.

"We go to Newcastle now and to Liverpool on the weekend, in one of the main games of our season. These are two difficult away games but we want to keep moving towards our goals. Winning both would be a huge boost of confidence now that the second half of the season is starting."

United are currently fifth in the league table, three points off a Champions League spot.