Juan Mata has said that 'it is not by chance' that Manchester United are now unbeaten in their last 18 Premier League matches.

The Red Devils continued their strong run of form on Sunday afternoon when goals from Marouane Fellaini, Jesse Lingard and Antonio Valencia secured a 3-1 success away to struggling Middlesbrough.

The victory was Man United's 600th in the Premier League, and Mata, who has scored 10 times in 38 appearances this season, has spoken of his pride at wearing the famous Red Devils shirt.

"It was another good game from the team, with an opponent that never gave up. The truth is we've been unbeaten in the Premier League for the last 18 games now, and it's not by chance. A few draws have penalised us, certainly, but the team always had options to win those game," Mata wrote in his personal blog.

"On Sunday, the victory came with an extra prize: the 600th win in the Premier League, which gives you an idea of how big this club is. We must keep that in mind in order to understand what it means to be wearing this shirt."

Man United currently sit fifth in the Premier League table - four points behind fourth-placed Liverpool, who have played two more matches.