Van Gaal Clarifies Herrera Situation

Louis van Gaal has praised Ander Herrera’s professionalism and explained that competition for places is the only reason why the Manchester United midfielder has had a sporadic run of starts of late.

Herrera was signed from Athletic Club in the summer and made an encouraging opening to his Reds career by scoring twice in his first three appearances. However, his growing momentum was disrupted when he suffered a broken rib in the 2-1 win over West Ham on 27 September, an injury that limited him to just two senior outings in October and November.

The Spaniard returned to full fitness before Christmas but has struggled to reclaim a regular starting place and has been limited to a handful of cameo roles, most recently when providing an assist for James Wilson during Tuesday’s FA Cup fourth-round win over Cambridge at Old Trafford.

When speaking to the media on Friday afternoon, van Gaal addressed Herrera’s situation and explained why he hasn’t begun matches in recent weeks. “I have to compare him with people like Wayne Rooney and Juan Mata for example, so that is difficult. They all have a high level, so he has to improve.”

Asked about Herrera's performances in training, the manager was quick to praise his professionalism and emphasised his point about competition for places: “He is a great guy and a great professional also, so that’s not the problem. His problem is that he has to compete with high-level players.

“Rooney is also the captain, so he has a privilege. The other reasons are the players who are in his positions. In this system for example – what we are playing now – that is Mata and that is Angel Di Maria. It is difficult to compete but he did already know that the moment he signed for Manchester United. When you sign at a top club like he did, he knows he has to fight, and he is fighting. I said this week that he was coming back. Some weeks he was down, but he is coming back now.”