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Louis van Gaal has explained why Ander Herrera did not start in Manchester United's opening Premier League wins against Tottenham and Aston Villa.

Herrera, who turned 26 on Friday, scored eight goals in 22 starts during an encouraging debut season in which he was limited to one league start in four months at one stage.

The popular Spanish midfielder started the slender wins over Spurs and Villa on the bench but emerged in the final third of both games for playmakers Memphis Depay and Adnan Januzaj.

Explaining why Januzaj started behind Wayne Rooney at Villa Park on Friday, Van Gaal said: "Because he gave signals in training that he is more and more confident, but also better.

"I like a second striker in that position (behind Rooney) more than a third midfielder. That is why, for example, Herrera is not playing but is always coming on as a substitute, because he is more of a controlling midfielder there."

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United noticeably improved following Herrera and Bastian Schweinsteiger's arrivals at Villa.

Herrera's return to the team last year prompted Van Gaal's switch to the 4-3-3 system which served United so well in the spring, as they won six successive league matches, beating Spurs, Liverpool and City in the process.

Basque Herrera scored twice in the home victory against Villa during that run and was instrumental in the Liverpool and City wins, as Van Gaal praised his combination play with Juan Mata and right-back Antonio Valencia.