Ander Herrera’s performance against Chelsea at the weekend was perhaps his best for Manchester United, and it’s certainly received the attention of the Spanish media.
The midfielder is perhaps the player who has progressed most under Jose Mourinho at Manchester United, the manager instilling a tactical discipline which was lacking from Herrera’s game.
Herrera loved working Marcelo Bielsa at Athletic Club Bilbao, raving about the Argentine’s style, but that may have caused problems for future managers. Ernesto Valverde then battled to get the most out of Herrera in Bilbao, and Louis van Gaal wasn’t able to master it, but Jose Mourinho has.
Mourinho and Bielsa are about as far apart as it gets so perhaps Herrera needed a gap between them. Having Bielsa, Valverde, Van Gaal and Mourinho as coaches during a crucial part of his career will have no doubt helped 27 year old Herrera.
Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo label Herrera ‘El hombre de Mou’ and say he is a ‘captain without armband’ for Manchester United.
On Tuesday the same newspaper said: ‘The ‘new’ Ander Herrera astonishes Europe’, and whilst that may be going a little too far, it’s clear the Manchester United midfielder is increasingly big news in his native Spain.