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Nicky Butt kept United’s dossier on Ander Herrera updated last season and is delighted that his journeys to Spain were not all wasted.

Although one of his trips did turn out to be fruitless when the Reds’ Under-21 coach and former midfielder turned up for one of Athletic Bilbao’s La Liga games and Herrera wasn’t even playing!

However, other visits proved more valuable and Nicky’s notes were duly delivered to former boss David Moyes.

Last summer, Moyes’ pursuit of the 24-year-old Basque country player collapsed at the last minute when United decided he wasn’t ready to be valued higher than their 2008 club record outlay of £30.75m for Dimitar Berbatov.

Herrera’s escape clause would have made him United’s most expensive purchase at the time and the Reds didn’t fancy saddling him with that tag and pulled out of the deal.

But Moyes kept him on the radar and Butt was duly dispatched to keep the intelligence on the target fresh.

When Moyes was sacked in April, Butt must have wondered if his spying missions had been wasted.

However, when Louis van Gaal was installed as Old Trafford’s new manager in May he also was attracted to Herrera’s potential and immediately instructed executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward to resurrect the deal that had been ditched last September.

At the end of last month, the midfielder was finally captured after a 12-month wait for £29m and Butt was delighted.

“I watched Ander a few times last season on scouting trips having a look at him. He didn’t play in one match, so that was a waste of time! But he impressed me in the matches I did see him,” Butt told MEN Sport.

“He is a very talented boy and speaks English, which is always a help coming over to England. It helps you settle in. It gives you a head start when you get into the dressing room. He seems a nice lad and he is well liked already.”

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Despite the then World Cup holder’s Spain’s stunning group exit in Brazil, the La Liga style of play is still admired and remains a successful way of playing. And Butt believes Herrera will bring that brand of midfield play to Old Trafford.

“His ability to pass and keep the ball is great,” Nicky added.

“You can see the Spaniard in him because they are always so comfortable on the ball. They can take the ball in any situation. It doesn’t bother them. They want to keep the ball moving and play things simple. He looks like he will be a very good player for the club.

“He was at the level where you just had to take note of this player because there are not many top midfielders you can get, in my opinion.

“You can all talk about Paul Pogba or Toni Kroos or whoever but these kind of players are not easy to get. So you have to widen your net and Herrera is a bonus.

“He is at a level where he can play at a club like Manchester United and given a bit of time he can excel. He can become a star player for us.

“I do think he has the ability to do that. He can become a big influence on our midfield. You will have to be patient with him. You cannot expect miracles from him straight away just because there is a big price tag attached.

"That’s not the lads fault. It is just the way football has gone. That’s between the two clubs and shouldn’t be allowed to put pressure on him.

"Given the time and the chance to develop, he can become a very good player. We think he can achieve very good things. It is a great signing for United and I am very pleased. I am sure the fans will take to him.”

When Butt was in Spain taking his notes on Herrera, a vision of a former adversary came into his mind.

“He reminds me of Ruben Baraja, who played for Valencia against us in the Champions League a few times,” Nicky remembered.

Baraja played for Valencia for 10 seasons and won 50 caps for Spain, appearing in one World Cup and a European Championships.

“He was Valencia’s captain and was very influential for them. He was very neat and tidy player. But what always struck me when I played against him or when I watched him was that it all looked so easy for him. There was a calmness about him. Nothing seemed to be an effort for him.

“That’s exactly how Ander makes the game look. He is very similar. He will be good for United, I am sure.”

Nicky Butt and the Class of ‘92 - including Ryan Giggs, Gary and Phil Neville, Paul Scholes and friends - will play the club they own, Evo-Stik First Division North side Salford City, on Thursday, August 7, as part of Salford’s pre-season at the AJ Bell Stadium.