Ole, ole, Ander Herrera,
Ole, ole, ole, ola,
Drinks Estrella by the cask,
He’s not Spanish, He is Basque,
Ole, ole, ole, ola…
There are certain players that Jose Mourinho loves to have in his squad. There are few whom he doesn’t. Ander Herrera certainly falls in the first category.
The Basque (not Spanish, I repeat) is exactly the quintessential, battle-hardened, in-your-face, anything-for-the-manager kind of player that Mourinho loves to place his trust on. Last season, when the gaffer found it difficult to infuse quality in the middle of the park, he trusted Ander Herrera to lead Manchester United’s pursuit of the EFL Cup and the Europa League. The former Athletic Bilbao man was moved around a lot under Louis Van Gaal as the Dutch manager rotated him in the number 10 role or even as the central midfielder.
However, as Jose arrived at Old Trafford, he did what he does well, by figuring out Ander Herrera’s best qualities, trusting him to play regularly and to form a tenacious partnership with Paul Pogba and Marouane Fellaini at the middle of the park. As a result, Manchester United had a very successful second half of the season when they won two crucial trophies and Ander Herrera was an integral member of the playing XI in both of them.
So, what is wrong now?
Cut to the summer transfer window of 2017.
Manchester United needed to add steel and furthermore experience and quality in deep midfield. A defensive midfielder with the experience of playing in the Premier League would help Jose more. Certainly, Ed Woodward pulled off a coup by somehow persuading Chelsea into selling star midfielder Nemanja Matic to the red half of Manchester. With the experience of Matic, combined with the flair and creativity of Paul Pogba, Jose decided to play just two midfielders and accordingly Herrera has seen his time on the pitch being cut down this season.
Hurts when this happens just a few months after your manager called you one of the smartest players he has ever worked with, eh?
However, it is not all doom and gloom for Ander Herrera, to be honest. The Basque is a favourite of Jose Mourinho and can be a useful player for Manchester United in coming seasons. His hard-working ability, coupled with the intelligence off the ball and the tendency to drive the team ahead whilst also coming up with a defence-splitting pass from 65 yards (Chelsea game, April, lads, and lasses!)is too good to be ignored. Even if United bring in some reinforcements in the midfield, the bite of Ander Herrera is irreplaceable. The Basque has been a dutiful player for the team, giving his best in the sporadic chances this season and making everyone aware of his commitment and dedication towards the team.
And we very well know how much Jose loves the players who are ready to leave their blood and sweat on the pitch.
Please look away, AC Milan.
