Manchester United needed to make a statement early this season to restore the faith among their supporters and they have not wasted time in doing so. Already they had roped in Louis van Gaal as the club’s new manager and if that was not enough, they have signed one of the most talented Spanish midfielders, Ander Herrera. This is one player that United has kept their eyes on for a long time and have finally managed to keep their hands on him. Atletico may have rejected the bids initially, but United were not taken aback by that and have completed the £29m move.
Herrera is seen as one of the most promising players for the future of the Spanish side. He has immense talent and any club would hugely benefit from his services. But we take a look at three reasons why United have done the right thing in buying Herrera?
The reinforced midfield
For long United’s problem have been their lack of a goalscoring midfielder. They have not had players in the centre of the pitch who are capable enough to score goals consistently. Sir Alex Ferguson was a special man, who managed to cope up with that and also win trophies, but their problems were exposed last season under David Moyes. Since then United have decided to take a step forward, firstly by going in for Juan Mata, whom they purchased from Chelsea and now Ander Herrera with the likes of Kroos and Robben being linked with a move. Herrera is a fine example of an attacking midfielder and he can always keep the defence in its toes.
Ander Herrera has managed to score 5 goals in the league and has assisted 5 more for his teammates with an impressive passing accuracy of 81% as per squawka. Just what the doctor ordered for United. Herrera cannot be termed as the finest of midfielders available out there or has a potential to become one, but the Spaniard as evident by his defensive stats (47% tackles won and 43% headed duels) is a work horse in the center of the park. Juan Mata, if used in a proper position can take the burden of creating chances, while Herrera can run up & down the field helping in both offensive and defensive parts of the game.
Young blood
For long the United team have been mainly run by players who have become stale and who have lost their killer instincts. This is one of the reasons why they suffered miserably last time and they are now looking to take corrective measures. Getting Herrera on board is a step in that direction with the youngster bringing in a breath of fresh air and partnering with other young players like Januzaj and in fact his fellow country man Juan Mata at 26 is still on the younger side of things. The average age of the team has fallen down and that means that now they would be able to play with a higher tempo for the whole ninety minutes and not have to change their tactics for lack of stamina.
Van Gaal’s tactics
Louis Van Gaal is a manager who loves to depend on the midfield and in all his career he has used the midfield players to different permutations and combinations. Even now we can see that the most vital player in his Dutch team is Robben and he is making excellent use of him there. Herrera, as discussed in detail here can be used as a attacking midfielder in a 4-3-3 formation or one of the two central midfielders in a tactically evolved 4-2-3-1 formation.