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After a rain-soaked first half at the new San Mames on Saturday left Athletic Bilbao trailing 1-0 to Levante, the stage was set for Ander Herrera to come on and turn the game.

Athletic coach Ernesto Valverde had preferred to partner summer signing Beñat and Ander Iturraspe in midfield, but as he watched his side grow increasingly frustrated as they were thwarted by an organised opponent, it was clear that the manager was ready to ring the changes.

At the start of the second half the substitute board signaled two replacements to the sound of welcoming cheers from an impatient home crowd. The first saw the impish Iker Muniain make way for striker Aritz Aduriz, the second brought a close to Beñat's contribution with Mikel Rico introduced in his place.

Ander remained on the bench. It was the story of his season so far, overlooked not once, but twice as Valverde maintained his sparing use of Manchester United's £30million summer transfer target.

"I don't know if he has a less important role this year," said Valverde recently of a player he has awarded just one full 90 minutes this year. That Ander has remained an unused substitute in three of high-flying Athletic's last five fixtures certainly supports the argument.

Despite claims that the 24-year-old could be the player to reinvigorate United's midfield following talk of a deadline-day bid in September, it is clear that he is not the panacea many had hoped as a move to Old Trafford appeared imminent.

Although Ander was presented with last season's player of the year award by a local supporters' club before kick-off on Saturday, it seems his bit-part role under Valverde is set to continue.

Rico, a 29-year-old journeyman who arrived in Bilbao from Granada in August, was richly rewarded for his pivotal performance in the second half, volleying a fine equaliser as Athletic recovered to win 2-1.

When he joined in the summer, it was impossible to envisage that Rico would replace the £30million-rated Herrera in midfield; after his game-changing display on Saturday, it is now just as difficult to imagine Ander suddenly regaining his starting spot.

But Ander can perhaps point to mitigating circumstances as he searches for a solution to his predicament. After cultivating a promising reputation as a deep-lying playmaker under former Athletic manager Marcelo Bielsa, he has been deployed in a more attacking role by Valverde in the current campaign.

The transition has not been a simple one, and the former Spain Under-21 international has been substituted before 70 minutes in five of his eight La Liga starts under the new coach.

This entirely unexpected development could possibly open up a second opportunity for United after they balked at Ander's asking price in the summer. "Once they had said to us: 'Only the buy clause being met will issue a release', we knew it wasn't going to happen," admitted chief executive Ed Woodward.

However, should Valverde remain reluctant to build his team around a player once seen as the jewel in the crown at Athletic, it would not be a surprise to see the midfielder express his desire for a fresh start elsewhere. The question is, what chance would he have of proving himself in Manchester as his struggles to break into the Athletic first team continue?