Manchester United favourite Ander Herrera has explained why he chose to join the club, and his reaction to Diego Maradona singling him out for praise.
The Spaniard joined Manchester United in a €36m move from Athletic Bilbao in the summer of 2014. He then went on to make 189 appearances and score 20 goals across all competitions for the Red Devils.
His time at Old Trafford was a highly successful one, highlighted by an outstanding 2016/17 campaign in which he won the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year Award.
He played a pivotal role in anchoring Jose Mourinho’s midfield that year, famously man-marking Eden Hazard in a 2-0 win over Chelsea.
He was also a key player in four major trophy wins during those five seasons, winning the Europa League, FA Cup, EFL Cup and Community Shield. There may have been a Premier League trophy in there too had it not been for Manchester City.
He’s now retired but looks back at that spell with immense pride, to say the least.
“Manchester? Well, for me, the biggest club in England,” he said when asked why he made the move.
“It’s one of the biggest in the world, at a time of transition. And because it meant taking that final step to a superclub.
“I enjoyed it enormously. They were five incredible years. And it’s true that, to leave Bilbao, because the truth is that life is very good in Bilbao and Athletic is a spectacular club, it had to be something special.
“If Zaragoza hadn’t been in the situation they were in, I probably wouldn’t have taken the step to Bilbao. Because Zaragoza, historically, would normally have fulfilled those expectations of taking the next step. And the final step is going to a top, top, top club.
“They had come for me a year before I joined. They had made an offer to the club which hadn’t been accepted. Then, after my third season in Bilbao, they paid the release clause, and I took the step to a superclub that I’m very proud to have been part of.”
Maradona praise
It wasn’t just Manchester United fans who were impressed by Herrera’s time at the club either. he was also once singled out for praise by none other than Diego Maradon.
That’s something he still holds on to today, even if he can’t quite get his head around it.
“And then, on top of that, Maradona said: “The one I like at United is Ander,” he added.
“That one’s incredible. Look, I’ve already got my museum set up at home, and I’m going to frame that one.
“And there was, I don’t know if Ibra was there, Pogba was there, Rooney was there. And I thought, “Bloody hell, has he hit his head this morning?”
“I don’t know (where it came from). He said it, he made those comments, and they reached me from everywhere. I remember I had Instagram at the time, and I sent him a message thanking him for those words.
“Because obviously, when Maradona says something like that about you, it’s not just anybody. I then played for a club where he’s an idol.”
Manchester United exit
Herrera eventually left Manchester United to join Paris Saint-Germain in July 2019. He has already insisted that he was heartbroken to make that move.
He had, initially, expected a renewal offer after winning Player of the Year. Instead, United only took up an automatic one-year extension and he eventually left on a free transfer.
“They (PSG) had signed Neymar, they had signed Mbappé, and I think that, in terms of transfers involving fees, they couldn’t make any more signings for those kinds of amounts,” he conclude.
“They needed players who would cost them little or nothing. That was my case because my contract was expiring. So, in terms of salary, they were offering me a very good salary, but they didn’t have to pay any transfer fee for me.
“Tuchel spoke to me and explained how I would fit into the team and so on. I liked what I heard. And in February, I signed with PSG. PSG gave me five years, and they gave me the opportunity to play with some of the best players in history.
“I came very close to winning the Champions League. It would have been the best season in the club’s history, and we would have made history. We lost the final against Bayern with a goal from one of our own academy players, Coman. Imagine how painful that was.
“You lose the only Champions League final in your history and one of your own academy players scores against you.”
