Analysis: Ander Herrera's Debut

Ander Herrera made his first Old Trafford appearance for Manchester United against fellow Spaniards Valencia on Tuesday night.

ManUtd.com paid special attention to the midfielder's 76 minutes on the pitch as he played his part in the Reds' 2-1 triumph.

Although a first pass down the left-hand touchline ran out of play, he was into the groove within a minute with an accurate lay-off to Phil Jones. Once settled, he spread play neatly and soon displayed mastery of the ball by spinning it into the path of Ashley Young during a rapid one-two.

By using his body, he was able to shield Paco Alcacer away and ferry the ball back to Chris Smalling, before a first opportunity to shoot arrived. The fans urged him to try his luck but, instead, his through-ball drifted harmlessly to Diego Alves in the Valencia goal.

As he cut out Dani Parejo in midfield, there was evidence of Herrera's ability to win possession and spark attacks, and a well-timed sliding tackle on Rodrigo Moreno on 19 minutes earned appreciative applause from the United faithful. Four minutes later, he managed an attempt on goal as he latched onto a headed clearance to execute a volley from the edge of box, but Alves watched it bounce harmlessly wide.

Always at the hub of things, the midfielder looked initially to be harshly penalised for a foul but, in fact, referee Jon Moss brought play back to punish Young. Moments later, he won another generously awarded set-piece when impeded by Parejo just outside the area. Wayne Rooney curled the free-kick over the bar.

The pass of the half came on 32 minutes when he found his range with a beautifully driven ball out wide to Young. The winger's instant cross led to Rooney being fouled by Antonio Barragan but the captain's penalty hit a post. A couple of fouls in quick succession, on Parejo and Rodrigo Moreno, illustrated the sort of tenacity he displayed on tour and another long pass into the channel for Rooney to chase, settling for a throw-in deep in Valencia territory, was just the sort of forward-thinking required to break down the Spanish defence.

The first half ended with Herrera in possession of the ball and, by our reckoning, he had made 23 accurate passes and helped dictate the play. Tyler Blackett was most often his target, receiving the ball eight times, as Herrera encouraged the three defenders to advance and contribute to the build-up. He fed midfield partner Darren Fletcher four times and Smalling on the same number of occasions.

Come the start of the second period, Ander was truly beginning to impress, producing gasps when controlling a ball out of the sky and killing it dead before moving it on quickly. The superb piece of artistry was a highlight of his display but a more telling contribution arrived soon afterwards when he dummied a Young corner, which led to Fletcher's deflected strike breaking the deadlock.

A chest pass to Young again showcased his natural ability but a backheel did not come off and one rare stray ball necessitated a fine tackle by Phil Jones to retrieve the situation. An attempt to break forwards ended when he was fouled and he spent his final minutes on the pitch feeding Blackett and Reece James, possibly indicating that he drifted slightly to the left after the interval.

Herrera's home debut came to an end when he was replaced as part of a double substitution, with Marouane Fellaini and Adnan Januzaj coming on and Javier Hernandez also exiting the pitch in the 76th minute. Fellaini, of course, snatched the late winner.

SUMMARY: The summer signing from Athletic Club can be pleased with a tidy performance and was economical with his passing, picking out Blackett on 10 occasions alone. Poor passes were rare and he regularly retained possession and played the ball short. However, he also made important contributions with a raking switch of attack to Young in the lead-up to the penalty and the involvement in Fletcher's goal. It seems apparent the Reds have a skilled technician who should grow in confidence and influence as he becomes accustomed to his new surroundings.

Views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Manchester United.

Credit: Manutd.oom