With Manchester United in the midst of a six-game winning run in the Premier League, and an unbeaten streak that stretches back 14 games, it seems Jose Mourinho has finally righted the ship after a troubled start to his Old Trafford reign.
While Zlatan Ibrahimovic has stunned observers with his largely seamless adaptation to the Premier League at the ripe old age of 35, and Paul Pogba has begun living up to his reputation and price tag, one player arguably equally important to United’s resurgence has flown under the radar.
Ander Herrera was highly coveted among the Old Trafford heirarchy well before his eventual move to United in 2014, with David Moyes having failed with a bid to land the Spaniard a year earlier. Louis Van Gaal finally brought Herrera from Athletic Bilbao, but the midfielder endured a frustrating two seasons under the Dutchman, with confusion over his best position and his role in the side.
However, Herrera has come into his own under Mourinho, proving himself vital to the United cause over the course of the season. Herrera was shuffled across the midfield under Van Gaal, playing as a deep-lying midfielder on some occasions and as a No. 10 on others, but Mourinho has given Herrera a defined role.
Playing at the base of the United midfield, but with the license and intelligence to make telling attacking runs, Herrera has been one of the team’s outstanding performers, and allowed the likes of Paul Pogba to shine. Other than the 4-0 debacle at Chelsea, United have not lost a single Premier League game this season when Herrera has started.
N’Golo Kante’s work mopping up in midfield for champions Leicester City last season drew widespread recognition, yet this season the Frenchman has competition in Herrera, who has the highest number of interceptions, 55, among Premier League midfielders. Herrera also has the same number of tackles as Kante this season.
Among United midfielders, Herrera has made the highest number of clearances, and only Pogba and Marouane Fellaini – two players with greater height and physicality – have won a higher percentage of aerial duels.
But Herrera doesn’t shine only in the defensive aspects of the game. The Spaniard is third among Premier League midfielders in number of successful passes this season, and has a greater passing accuracy than the two midfielders above him, Pogba and Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson.
At Manchester United, Herrera trails only natural attacking players and playmakers Ibrahimovic, Pogba, and Juan Mata in chances created. The 27-year-old has also chipped in with three Premier League assists.
But beyond his statistics, Herrera’s greatest value to Mourinho’s United is his phenomenal work rate. In some games Herrera seems to be everywhere, making crucial interventions in defence, bringing the ball out from the back, setting up United’s attacks and salvaging those attacks that break down in the final third of the pitch. He truly covers every blade of grass. It was this aspect of his game that saw him earn the Man-of-the-Match award as United battled to a 0-0 draw at the home of bitter rivals Liverpool.
His energy and commitment are reminiscent of United legend Roy Keane, and indeed, at times this season it has seemed that if Herrera were running around Old Trafford wearing Keane’s old shirt, nobody would blink an eye.
If there is one knock on Herrera this season, it is that he doesn’t score enough goals, especially in a team that needs others to take the goalscoring burden off of Ibrahimovic’s shoulders. Herrera has scored with some stunning finishes and superb volleys during his time at United, but his tally this season is only one, and zero in the Premier League.
Often this season, Herrera has been looking for the spectacular, shooting from long range and seeing his attempts go horribly wayward. But while the wasted chances may frustrate his manager, Mourinho is surely satisfied by having found the sort of midfielder he values most – the one capable of and willing to do the dirty work in midfield.
Perhaps the most Ander Herrera moment of Herrera’s Manchester United career came under Van Gaal, last season. As United fans will no doubt recall, Anthony Martial scored a memorable injury-time winner in the team’s dramatic FA Cup semi-final win over Everton last season.
It was preceded by Herrera receiving the ball, trying to pull off a clever turn which didn’t quite work, battling to retain control of the ball, and then, while falling down, sticking out his foot to deliver the perfect through ball to Martial.
Ugly, not flashy. Battling, not beautiful. Not stylish, but substantial. Herrera is certainly capable of turning it on, and has had some glorious moments as a United player, but his value to Mourinho is that above everything else – quietly, effectively, Herrera gets the job done.
