Spoiler: vs Arsenal

Spoiler: vs Liverpool

“I like these games,” Ander admitted with a smile. “When you are a Manchester United player and you know the history of this club, you have to respect the games that are for the fans.



“I feel it like them. I know I am not English and I am not from Manchester, but I really love this club and I have enjoyed my time here. I don’t want to be just one more player. I want to show that I am very happy here and I want to be here for as long as possible.”



On the support of the fans, Herrera continued: “It didn’t surprise me. I have had bad moments here. Last season we lost two or three games in a row before having Chelsea at home and the atmosphere was one of the best. Man United fans are always with the team and not every team can say that.” Click to expand...

Spoiler

Loads of things, where to even begin...Leads United's press from midfield - we have one of the better ball recovery rates in the opposition half despite not being an Atlético/Leicester high press team, or employing something similar to Klopp's press as a collective where people are on the ball in an instant from multiple angles. At United, others do their part, but Ander is often off to a headstart like a hyena from his nominal right midfield role.Video quality/editing is a bit shoddy, but you can sense how he unsettles the opposition players when they have possession of the ball. This forces them into mistakes, or bad passes, and can lead to possession for United in dangerous positions (like at the edge of the Arsenal box after the successful press-forced error).'Covers every blade of grass through 90 mins' - sounds flowery, and he is obviously not as good as Keane, but Herrera is always on the move and close to peak Fletcher level when it comes to work-rate on and off the ball. Be it covering for Valencia when he surges up the right channel, pressuring the opposition (as highlighted above), acting as a sieve that eases the clutter removal for Carrick (who isn't as mobile as he used to be - necessitating greater help in the mobility department from those around him), or providing the legs at the base of midfield when Pogba goes charging.Determined, unselfish (allowing bigger influences to thrive on the ball), keeps things simple (one of the most prominent criticisms of Ander revolve around poor passing ability on the ball, and while he can rush things, no doubt, the quick 1-2 string passes allow the likes of Carrick to pass with better precision), and always on the move as an outlet. That brings up the tempo of the team to a higher level - and you can sense our overall style becoming less dynamic every time he's not on the field.Tactically aware and can 'do a job' if that role is detailed by the manager - good marker, good in terms of defensive nous, tracks back well.You could argue that no other midfielder in our squad could do what he did there - not Carrick, not Pogba, Fußballgott was a titan at Bayern but probably not now, not Fellaini, Schneiderlin could maybe do it at Southampton but he hasn't shown a comparable level at United. A player like that - who can fill in at multiple positions at a good level (relative to his peak as a box-to-box player) is invaluable for any manager.Intangibles:One of the few players in the current squad (like Carrick, or Blind) who come across as tactically intelligent - in terms of understanding things on a deeper level, instead of just doing things without being able to fathom why specific things are being done.'Gets United' like few others in the team even though he's a Spaniard, articulate, and relates with the fans:Emerging as a leader - he's always been vocal (even at Zaragoza or Athletic Club), but Mourinho has given him a new lease of life (as opposed to Van Gaal's oftentimes robotic instructions), and Ander is thriving in that role.Small example, but this is a microcosm for both the leader part, and the 'understanding things' part:All that is pretty hard to miss, to be fair, and even if it is underappreciated - that's good because Carrick is our primary passer and Pogba is the obvious superstar midfield dynamo - so the focus on the ball should be on them. Meanwhile, Ander is stealthily keeping the engines running like a ninja. He's like the Park Ji Sung or Darren Fletcher of the current team - a 'water carrier' as it were - albeit one with good technical ability on ball, or as a comparison - what Matuidi was for PSG - where Motta had the bulk of the ball, Verratti was the midfield sensation, Thiago the defender extraordinaire and Ibrahimović the main attraction. Would replace him with very few players considering Ander's qualities - long term, maybe some like Saúl, who has great box-to-box potential, and allies that with better technique on the ball. For the here and now, Ander's perfect - especially since our successful 4-3-3 setup with current personnel (and Pogba/Carrick) would fail without his effervescent presence.PS: Thought the timing of the thread was weird considering the glut of pro-Herrera articles in recent weeks and months