Manchester United's Juan Mata admitted he was "embarrassed" after concluding his first season at Old Trafford.
The Spaniard swapped Chelsea for the Red Devils midway through the season in a £37m deal.
David Moyes was in charge at that point but poor results and performances saw him axed less than a year into a six-year deal.
Ryan Giggs saw the season through with a defeat to relegation threatened Sunderland and a win over Hull their final two home outings.
And as the United players thanked their fans on the pitch Mata concedes he struggled to face the fans.
He told the club's website: “We were in seventh position in the league, a position Manchester United should never be in.
"I was like I'm going to wave and they're going to boos us and insult us, like they should feel. I come from Spain and know things turn difficult when a team is not performing.
“I didn't want to look at the people, just in case. I was embarrassed."
Mata scored six goals in 15 outings during his first campaign and admits to being taken aback by the support from the Old Trafford crowd.
He continued: "About halfway [around the pitch], I realised they were clapping and singing, encouraging us and saying it doesn't matter, it's next season. This is incredible.
“It was unbelievable to have such fans behind you. You're seventh in the league with Manchester United, having been winners the year before with Sir Alex Ferguson, but they don't lose patience. They say: 'keep going, it doesn't matter'.
“It got me a bit emotional because I didn't expect it. I'd never experienced this before in Spain. The expectations are high if a big club doesn't perform. There is a lot of pressure on them."
Mata has gone on to make almost 250 appearances over a six year spell at Old Trafford.
During that time the World Cup winner has picked up both domestic trophies as well as the Europa League in 2017.
