The midfielder received rave reviews for his performance against the
Premier League leaders and can use that to inspire his team against
rivals City
Few teams have managed to contain Chelsea luminary Eden Hazard this
season, nor conquered the atomic presence of PFA Player of the Year
N'Golo Kante. Ander Herrera, however, succeeded in both in Manchester
United's 2-0 Premier League victory over Antonio Conte's table-toppers
last week.
The Spain international set up Marcus Rashford for United's first and
scored the second, but most impressively smothered Hazard from start to
finish and reduced the Belgian's impact in the 90 minutes to nil.
Herrera followed his Man of the Match performance against Chelsea
with another majestic display in United's trip to Turf Moor, in which
Jose Mourinho's side ran out 2-0 winners at Burnley. Again, the Spaniard made an assist, taking his total for the campaign to six - more
than any other United player and the highest return of his career to
date.
The 27-year-old is flourishing under Mourinho's guidance, and is
presented with another opportunity on Thursday in the Manchester derby
to further cement his status as a favourite at Old Trafford.
"I am very thankful to Mourinho. This season has been the most
regular one for me at the club and that is with Mourinho on the bench,"
Herrera recently commented. "I am very happy. He gave me, from the first
day, a lot of confidence and he told me I was going to be an important
player for him."
Herrera has what it means to be a Mourinho player. His tactical
intelligence is coupled with a hard edge, while he is also predominant
in United turning defence into attack. Often, it is Herrera
who orchestrates the United midfield, positioning his team-mates and
communicating throughout. Importantly, too, Herrera is a nuisance. While
those associated with United admire the former Athletic midfielder
greatly, those who go up against him have few nice things to say.
Few people will be able to predict the starting XI of both Manchester
clubs ahead of Thursday's meeting, such is the incalculable nature of
both Mourinho and Pep Guardiola. However, Herrera's importance to how
United operate means he will almost certainly start in the middle of the
pitch for the Old Trafford side, who are looking to overtake City in
the Premier League table at the Etihad, should he be able to overcome
his ankle injury.
No comments:
Post a Comment