Ander Herrera has fond memories of his time at Manchester United. The now 33-year-old Spaniard, now active again for his childhood sweetheart Athletic Club, played for The Red Devils from 2014 to 2019 .
Herrera joined a podcast from Manchester United’s club channel last week. There he looked back on the collaboration with the three managers he had during his period: Louis van Gaal, José Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
‘A great person’, Herrera calls the Dutchman, who was in front of the group when the midfielder came to Manchester for just under forty million. “He has a kind of shell around him, like a turtle, but underneath is a heart. At first he is strong and serious, but when you get through that, he can also be very emotional,” the Basque recalled.
“He’s a good person. I’m happy for him because I heard he’s sick, but he looks great. Under Van Gaal we won the FA Cup, qualified for the Champions League and I developed personally. I learned a lot from him, it was a great time for me,” says Herrera, who has been dealing with Jose Mourinho since 2016.
“I also became an important player under Mourinho. Thanks to him I even joined the national team, a key moment in my career. That year I was even voted Player of the Year by the fans, I will be forever grateful for our time together. Mourinho was a bit of a crook, like me. It was different football than under Van Gaal, but I loved it. It was more counter football, but we won three trophies,” said Herrera.
People compare United managers to Sir Alex Ferguson
The third trophy was the Europa League, where Ajax was defeated in the final. “It was important to win a European trophy against Ajax, an important club in Europe. I think it’s still the club’s last award. But this year that could change,” Herrera predicts. “They have to beat Barcelona in the next round. I am charmed by this team and this manager,” he refers to Erik ten Hag.
“When people compare United managers to Sir Alex Ferguson, I always tell them to realize there were fewer title contenders in that period. Sir Alex has done incredibly well, but he really only had to compete with Arsenal and Liverpool,” Herrera points out. “Ten Hag now also has to compete with Chelsea, City, Tottenham and even Newcastle United. That’s not easy. It’s not easy being United’s manager. But maybe someday I will be!”
