Ander Herrera has admitted that the large speculation surrounding Louis van Gaal’s future as Manchester United was quite ‘uncomfortable’. Speculation surrounding the future of the Dutchman dated back to December when a bad spell of games made the media turn on him and appoint Jose Mourinho as Manchester United manager five months early. At the time, a short spell of bad games let to the only speculation that van Gaal was due to not complete his planned three years as Manchester United manager, but as of February, sources such as Starsport began to reveal how the Portuguese-man was lined up to take over. Louis van Gaal recovered well from the bad form and had a decent finish to his Manchester United campaign by winning the FA Cup against Crystal Palace at Wembley. Ander Herrera has recently spoken to Marca, and during the interview had a few comments on Louis van Gaal’s last moments as Manchester United boss:
“It wasn’t a comfortable time, but we are professionals, and so we didn’t allow it to distract us. I must say that the coach remained strong throughout.
“He never showed signs of surrender and, in the end, we won the FA Cup. Van Gaal is an honest guy and has always put Manchester United above all else.”
It is clear to see Ander Herrera still has respect for Louis van Gaal. The Spaniard was brought in from Athletic Bilbao back in 2014, and it is nice to see that Herrera holds a special place for van Gaal in his heart. Personally, I believe that Louis van Gaal could have given Herrera a bit more chances to cement a position in the midfield, but either way van Gaal did his best with the players available, and this is shown through Herrera’s comments. Whether it was a shock to see van Gaal leaving, Herrera simply put:
“Nothing surprises you in football today.”
Herrera added to his statement by commenting:
“United have to fight for every title and, when they lose that fight, this is one of the outcomes. In many ways I think he has done a good job.
“I’m grateful to him because he signed me and so gave me the opportunity to play more than 70 games, in two years, at arguably the world’s largest club. It wasn’t a comfortable time, but we are professionals, and so we didn’t allow it to distract us.”
I agree with Herrera’s comment about Louis van Gaal’s benefits in his time as manager. Louis van Gaal brought back the youth to Manchester United and showed that every player needs to give it his all, no matter the circumstances. Just like fans, Herrera is very grateful to what Louis van Gaal brought to the club, and he won’t go by without a thankful goodbye. But time moves on, and Manchester United have a new manager, meaning another manager that Ander Herrera has to prove himself yet again. Herrera seems just as excited as we are by the prospect of having “the special one” coming to Manchester United. In a recent interview with Spanish radio station La Ser, Herrera stated:
“Working with Mourinho is a unique opportunity to work with one of the best in the world. He has a widely acclaimed method of working and I want to learn and improve. I consider his arrival to be a one-off opportunity for me to continue to develop and grow.”
In a different interview with Marca, Herrera stated:
“I find that funny [that Mourinho is considered negative]. Let’s see, Mourinho played at Chelsea with Cesc [Fabregas], Willian, Oscar, [Eden] Hazard and Diego Costa. There was only [Nemanja] Matic as a defensive midfielder. That’s not an attractive style of play?”
In my opinion, it seems that Herrera is a tad more than excited about the possibilities at Manchester United. Ander Herrera clearly admires Jose Mourinho and his impressive track record. I personally love the little dig at the media through his last comment of “That’s not an attractive style of play?” because Manchester United have been heavily criticised for their style of play. Jose Mourinho coming to Manchester United shows the formation of two strong forces searching for more success. I personally believe that Ander Herrera has what it takes to strive under Mourinho, who loves his hard-working players who go end to end always looking to make an impact. Whether he will be given a chance is yet to be determined, but one this is for sure, Ander Herrera is destined for greatness if he ends up one of Jose’s favorite players.