Ander Herrera

You'd be hard pressed to find a united fan that dislikes Ander

Had to come to post this. True Red Devil, this lad is. Hope he comes back quickly. Was having a great game until that time when he had to go off. Dat assist!

the love I have for Ander is unhealthy

Ander

ffs this man should be captain

http://www.manutd.com/en/News-And-Features/Football-News/2015/Dec/ander-herrera-has-message-for-manchester-united-fans-after-shows-of-faith-v-stoke-and-chelsea.aspx

Even Herrera's not his old self anymore. Way too negative and safety first in his game right now. LvG is ruining all our good players.

Not singling him just for today's game, but I'm really disappointed in him. I've accepted he's just not good enough. In fact, he's frigging shit

Shouldnt be picked in the next 2 games. First time i think he has directly contributed in an opposition goal. The lowest point of his mufc career easily.
Still think under a different manager (mou) he can become as good as last season or even better. Same's the case with Schnederlin.

RED wrote:Not singling him just for today's game, but I'm really disappointed in him. I've accepted he's just not good enough. In fact, he's frigging shit

I have to agree, he's obviously better than what he showed this season but overall he's just not good enough

He is a good squad player...but not a everyday starter, I think that's been apparent for a while now.

Mourinho will like him for his engine, I think he has a future at this club still.

His interview for Mutv after the match against Dortmund. The lad's classy all the time. No wonder he is a fan fav. Hope he will really do well this season.

I remember us, the United fans being sure that he will solve our problems in the midfield. Hyping Herrera all the way (before we bought him and even after that)... I still believe he can be perfect for us.

I wrote in the "Tactics and formation" thread about the fact that nobody shined at Man United, except Martial and De Gea, in the last few years. That's because we had two coaches who couldn't manage the players properly.

We need to use a different tactic. I don't know how that tactic should look. All I know is that we should aim to play a style that fits our players' traits and qualities, not something else. Then, we shall talk about their performances!

Ander Herrera is 27 years old today! Happy Birthday, Ander! I can see this guy in 10 years, retiring from Manchester United. His level of devotion is amazing.

Good lad!

I wish him good luck for this season!

Srarting DM today. Interesting to see how it pans out. He surely has got the defensive side to his game. Only thing thats a bit worrying is his physique.

Ander Herrera has revealed to MUTV that a conversation with new Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho led to his deeper position in central midfield, with both agreeing he could be an “important player” this season.

http://www.manutd.com/en/News-And-F...ith-Jose-Mourinho-about-his-new-position.aspx

This guy is the real Red Devil. Basque Mancunian. He's everything this club stands for. The midfielder we deserve. And quite possibly our next captain.
That performance yesterday was a 10 on 10. He simply was unwilling to lose against the scouse. Such was his drive and determination. Its a joy to see when he plays like this. Mou deserves credit for giving us back our old Ander after lvg destroyed him. Keep it coming ma beautiful man!!

I been on Ander hype train since Moyesie

http://www.joe.co.uk/sport/ander-herreras-deadly-effect-for-manchester-united-goes-way-beyond-these-incredible-stats/92635

Everything Herrera did, he did it with pure pride for the jersey and he did it with pure, unwavering quality too. He was relentless in his pursuit of the ball and, in possession, he was unapologetic with his aggressively attacking intentions.

He played on the edge, like a man possessed. He played like a football player on his toes worried that his manager was just looking for one reason to take him out of the action. He refused to give him half a reason.

But God almighty, if this Herrera ever loses his place, Jose Mourinho should have a lot more to answer for than just his timid caution.

This was one of the all-time great performances. This was Herrera at his very, very best and it was a thing of blood-thirsty beauty.

http://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/why-ander-herrera-Seb Stafford-Bloor gives-manchester-united-exactly-what-they-need-right-now-identity?utm_m_medium=t&utm_source=Twitter

Seb Stafford-Bloor explains how the Spaniard's love of football and connection with supporters makes him the perfect man to build the current Red Devils side around

"I still enjoy football. I love football. I love my profession. What I don't like is cases where owners prioritise their interests over the club. Football can't be solely about profit."

Footballers don't often make textured remarks about the game, but then Ander Herrera isn't a normal footballer. In a 2014 interview with Sid Lowe, from which that quote is taken, the then-25-year-old was startlingly candid.

Practiced indifference is the norm in this era and players are quite literally trained to express themselves only within the game's rigid platitudes. Herrera, however, was colourful and spoke effusively about the sport. Not what the sport has done for him, how it has made him rich or the life it enables him to lead, but the actual sport: goal-kicks, corners, tackles and goals. Its essence.

CHARACTER COUNTS

How rare that is. The modern supporter is often led to believe that, on signing a first professional contract, a player's love for football evaporates. It's difficult to disprove that, too – watch them promote a product or talk to a television camera after a game and note their scripted joylessness.

Herrera's differences draw their energy from his refusal to conform. He may talk enthusiastically about the parts of his game which need improvement and those of which he's particularly proud, but his love also transcends the pitch. His career anecdotes involve backing supporter protests at Real Zaragoza, passing comment on UEFA's ticketing philosophy in the Europa League and lending his reputation to other fan interests.

At this juncture in the game's history, when the boardroom's relationship with the fans and the first team exists mainly in the abstract, Herrera would likely be a popular figure at any club. But at United, where the ructions have been so loud and the acrimony so fierce, he's particularly welcome, symbolising authentic values at a time when the brand is all powerful and ideological moorings are being stretched to their elastic limit. Herrera is a real person with a real-world outlook and, in 2016, that's highly seductive.

But this story, the growing affection between the player and his supporters, has other roots too.

XAVI, SCHOLES... BUTT?

Late March, 2015. Steven Gerrard was introduced as a second-half substitute by Brendan Rodgers, with Liverpool trailing Manchester United by one goal to nil at Anfield. Almost immediately from the kick-off, Herrera would thunder into Gerrard and provoke the Liverpool captain into a petulant stamp; Martin Atkinson flashed his red card and another infamous Premier League moment had life.

To an extent, Herrera's part in that sequence has been lost to its greater significance, but in isolation it was highly descriptive of his playing personality. In the most hostile atmosphere a Manchester United player can experience, he took an axe to a local icon. Of course, he also played extremely well and contributed fully to one of the most satisfying performances United would manage under Louis van Gaal, but it was those few seconds after half-time which remain most vivid.

"I was always looked at other players at Real Zaragoza... Gus Poyet was a role model for me, and then the national team players like Xavi and Iniesta, but so were the United players like Scholes and Butt."

As Herrera's legend has grown – and as he has become a first-team regular under Jose Mourinho – appreciation for his emotional influence has risen. United's midfield has lacked personality for a long time. It's often been flecked with technique and vision, but often at the expense of other, weightier characteristics. There's been little heart and even less to fear.

Herrera has brought a nasty edge; cultured passer though he is, there's some devil in his play. He's a vocal presence under Mourinho and, revealingly, often willing to face accusatory questions after a poor result, but part of his substance is derived from nastiness. Herrera trades off his aesthetic: his sweet, impish face hides his darker energies. He may not look it, but he's really a big-club bully – the talismanic Black Knight willing to do anything to win.

ROLL UP YOUR SLEEVES

The parallel, then, is with Roy Keane: Alex Ferguson's monster. Tempting and convenient though that may be, it's inaccurate – and evidently not how Herrera views himself. Other than being midfielders, the players he admits to admiring were all more rounded than Keane and all influenced games in more subtle ways. Crucially, they are also footballers' footballers: players whose appeal relied on understanding all of their various functions and, by implication, their understated importance.

It's entirely normal for a Spaniard of Herrera's generation to look up to Xavi and Andres Iniesta, national icons as they are. Similarly, having grown up in the Real Zaragoza youth system, his affection for Poyet isn't difficult to explain. But a fondness for Nicky Butt? That's an acquired taste: there weren't even children walking around Salford with his name on their replica shirts.

"They not only played well with the ball, the did great work (without it) too and worked hard to defend when they needed to."

It's different, and evidences an appetite for all aspects of midfield play. Not just the reverse passes and fierce tackles, but for covering space and showing for the ball; between them, the aforementioned players cover their position's entire spectrum. Combine their skill sets and you would be left with a technically flawless player of unparalleled commitment.

ANGELS AND DEMONS

That's a constant theme with Herrera, on and off the field. Nobody at Manchester United celebrates with more joy or sincerity when a goal is scored, and none of the other players seem quite as crestfallen when a game is lost. That sincerity extends into his relationship with the media, too. Beyond a veneer of general honesty, his interviews typically involve the expression of a genuine belief – either relating to a recent performance or, more generally, regarding the way the game should be played, arbitrated or governed.

He seems in thrall to almost every aspect of the sport and to be fascinated by the corners which his peers routinely avoid; be that in his interaction with supporters or, curiously, his ambition to one day play for Boca Juniors – a rare aspiration for a European. La Bombonera remains associated with a particularly rabid type of fandom and with perpetual, swirling pressure, and few born outside Buenos Aires crave that kind of intensity. Herrera, though, seeks the full, immersive footballing experience and, for supporters and team-mates alike, that can be inspiring.

Fans respond to players they can relate to, while players react to someone they can admire. Unusually – and by being a web of apparent contradictions – Herrera manages to play both roles. He's grounded enough not to ignore the trouble found on football's periphery, but possesses enough sense of self to still be a factor within its grand centre. He's blessed with skill, but also menace – an angel with the ball, a demon without it.

In essence he's the perfect modern day hero; the ideal moral centrepoint for a club lacking a definitive identity.

The Dark Knight of Manchester. The hero we deserve. Quality article.

So far, this guy has been tremendous. Has potential to become a Man United legend and one of the best central midfiedlers in the world, at least when it comes about drive, work rate and discipline. A top lad who would have been a favorite of Sir Alex's, I'm sure about this.

Hopefully, he will be fit for the rest of the season, because if he is not there our midfield is broken, especially when facing strong opponents. Next summer we should buy someone who can come in if Ander can't be there when he is needed.

It was anyway another player Mourinho talked loudly about. Ander Herrera has shown himself as an important piece in United's system this season, and the students heard.

"Mourinho talked a lot about Herrera, saying he is one of the smartest players he has had during his career," said Skogsletten. Mourinho also told about the corner line that made the final. And as he himself had not planned!

Before the match, Mourinho had made it clear that Henrikh Mkhitaryan would be out of the box on offensive deathballs and dodge Ajax if they were to be in contravention.

"Suddenly Herrera took hold of the Mkhitaryan and sent him in front of the keeper, while Herrera would take the pitch outside the box. Mourinho said he was so frustrated that he tore the fourth quarter and said "what the hell is going on?"

Mourinho had later understood that Herrera had noticed anything even the United coach had not remembered.

"It turned out Herrera had taken responsibility in the situation. The reason was that the Mkhitaryan had a yellow card, so if Ajax suddenly put in a counterattack, and the Mkhitaryan had felt the player, he would have been expelled with a 1-0 lead.

In addition to preventing potential disaster in a contradiction, Herreras moves to United Jubilee also led. For the same corner, Mkhitaryan poked United's second scoring in the match.

"Mourinho said he is incredibly pleased to have such players who can handle situations on their own and adjust," says Skogsletten.

http://www.nettavisen.no/sport/nors...un-oppsummere-han-med-ett-ord/3423347747.html

A poorly translated piece on Ander according to Mourinho touching on that incident in the EL final when he instructed Mkhi to go up before the corner. Simply brilliant. The guy will make a great manager one day. His game intelligence is on a different level.

Hopefully, Ander will play tomorrow. I would like to see a midfield with him, Matic and Pogba and the three in front Martial, Lukaku, Mata/Mkhi.

Unlikely. Mou is not known to be someone who tinkers with stuff. Eventhough its an away match, its a Swansea side that has their forward injured and most important player sold in recent weeks. So, we might approach this game on the front foot with 4 attackers and not just 3.

I am one of Ander's biggest fans. But even I am saying now, he has to be DROPPED. Has been terrible so far this season. I dont know what happened. Perhaps the new slightly more advanced role is the reason. Until Matic's (slightly better) form drops he will have to sit on the bench.

He's okay at best but you don't build great teams around him.
Never rated this guy from the start. You can check my earlier posts when everyone was hailing him as the second coming of scholes

That said, he is okay as the problems run much deeper within the team.