After a year in the waiting, Manchester United finally have their man. The 24-year-old Spanish central midfielder Ander Herrera is finally a Manchester United problem. After a lot of struggle, United have their hands on their first central midfielder since signing Owen Hargreaves and Anderson way back in the summer of 2007.
Since then, although plenty of top quality central midfielders have been linked with the club, it has only just been speculation. Even this summer, the likes of Kevin Strootman, Toni Kroos, Francesc Fabregas ad Jordy Clasie were linked with the club. But it was Herrera, the player who was supposed to be David Moyes’s first signing that was eventually signed.
How does Ander Herrera compare to the rest of the players United have been linked with. Although he is certainly an upgrade on the current crop of central midfielders at United, how does he compare with other players the club were linked with.
Although plenty of players were linked with the club, four players were constantly linked with an Old Trafford switch. And those four were Bayern Munich’s Kroos, Roma’s Strootman, now Chelsea’s Fabregas and Feyenoord’s Clasie. Let us compare and see if Herrera is better than those four or represents a more useful investment. In this article, let us compare them using four main criteria before passing out a verdict. Those are – attacking, defending, passing and suitability.
Attacking
Offensive output of Herrera and the four other midfielders in the League last season
| Herrera | Strootman | Kroos | Fabregas | Clasie | |
| Games Played | 33 | 25 | 29 | 36 | 32 |
| Shots | 2.4 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 1.4 | 1.1 |
| Goals | 5 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 1 |
| Assists | 5 | 6 | 4 | 13 | 7 |
| Chances created | 53 | 47 | 40 | 58 | 37 |
(All stats per Whoscored)
Among the five midfielders, only Fabregas with eight goals scored more than Herrera who had five for Athletic Bilbao last season. Although he only assisted in five goals, the fact that he created more chances than everyone bar Fabregas speaks a lot about the quality of forwards playing along with him rather than a reflection of his own ability.
In an offensive point of view, Herrera is without a doubt second-best to Fabregas, not just in terms of goals, but also overall in terms of creating chances for his teammates. The fact that he played as an attacking midfielder certainly makes his numbers look a lot better, but you can’t deny that the quality is certainly there.
Since United couldn’t sign Fabregas, who is arguably a more accomplished attacking midfielder, they went for the nearest thing. And in Herrera, they have someone who is three years younger and has the potential to be just as good.
Defending
Defensive discipline of Herrera and the four other midfielders in the League last season
| Herrera | Strootman | Kroos | Fabregas | Clasie | |
| Games Played | 33 | 25 | 29 | 36 | 32 |
| Interceptions | 2.4 | 1.4 | 0.5 | 1.4 | 1.9 |
| Tackles won | 3.1 | 3.3 | 1.8 | 1.3 | 2.5 |
| Clearances | 0.7 | 1.6 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 1.7 |
| % of Aerial duels won | 52 | 41 | 55 | 40 | 50 |
| Fouls committed | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1 | 1.2 | 1.3 |
(All stats per Whoscored)
Of all the five midfielders on this list, Herrera had probably the least defensive responsibility thrust on him. But even then, the fact that he averages more interceptions per game than the other four players speaks volumes about his commitment to the cause. Although he doesn’t the clear the ball as much as the others, the fact that he averages over three tackles per game, a number bettered only by Strootman also shows that Herrera is more than willing to put his foot in.
In terms of just defensive contribution, Jordy Clasie is the undoubted winner, but the fact that he was deployed in a much deeper role means that he has had more to do than the likes of Fabregas and Herrera. But given that Herrera played as an attacking midfielder for most of last season, his numbers are impressive nonetheless.
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