Herrera: Why The FA Cup Is Special

There are those who claim the FA Cup has lost some of its lustre and prestige, but Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera is a confirmed fan of football’s oldest knockout competition.

The Spaniard enjoyed his first taste of the 145-year-old tournament last season, when the Reds reached the sixth round before losing at home to Arsenal, and he's now relishing the prospect of playing in Saturday’s third-round tie against League One club Sheffield United at Old Trafford.

"We didn’t go too far in the last FA Cup but I enjoyed the games a lot," Herrera told MUTV.

"It’s a great competition and the organisation in England is fantastic, I have to say. Now we start at home and it would be good to win."

In the 2014/15 competition, Herrera scored a stunning goal on United’s first-ever trip to Yeovil Town, before playing in the Reds’ visits to lower-league Cambridge United and Preston North End.

And the 25-year-old admitted: "In this competition, maybe I prefer to play away because when you visit lower-league teams, like we did last season, the atmosphere in their stadiums is incredible.

"I know we are lucky because we are playing at home in front of our fans this weekend, and I always love to play at Old Trafford. But if we beat Sheffield United, I’m hoping we get an away draw because I really enjoy those trips. It’s a very enjoyable competition and a nice one that we can hopefully win this season."

Former Athletic Club star Herrera has previously spoken to Inside United about the allure of the English cup, saying: "It's different to the Spanish Cup because it's more about the knockout situation.

"In Spain we play two legs in the cup, so it’s good that it can be down to just one game here – it makes it very emotional.

"It's a very interesting competition and I always watched it when I was in Spain. Every team has a chance to win it, which is good."