Ander Herrera has revealed why he left Manchester United
In an interview with Spanish paper Marca, Herrera said that he left Manchester United over a disagreement regarding his role at the club.
The 29-year-old Spaniard was recently unveiled as a new Paris Saint-Germain player, where he will wear the same number 21 shirt he used to sport at Old Trafford.
PSG approached him after he allowed his contract at United to run out this summer, which meant that the Red Devils lost him on a free transfer. The five-year deal is reportedly worth £350,000 per week.
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Herrera has arguably been United’s best outfield player in the years following Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement.
He was signed by Louis van Gaal in the summer of 2014 after the Dutch manager triggered his buyout clause at Athletic Bilbao. Herrera’s energy, work rate, passion, and an uncanny eye for goal soon made him a fan favorite with the Old Trafford faithful.
Although he struggled for game time occasionally, the Basque midfielder was often one of the best players on the pitch when he did play.
His best season at the club was probably 2016/17, which was also Jose Mourinho’s first campaign at United. Herrera formed a formidable midfield trio with Michael Carrick and Paul Pogba, helping his team win the Europa League and the League Cup.
He was also duly rewarded with United’s Player of the Season award in 2017.
Although he spoke fondly of his time in Manchester, Herrera outlined specifically why he chose to move to Paris:
"“I don’t like looking to the past too much, but there were differences regarding the project and my importance within it. I was very happy there, I have a lot to thank the club, fans and Solskjaer for. He did a lot to convince me to stay, but things didn’t happen like that. Their offer arrived late and by then I had already made the decision to play in Paris. “"
Ed Woodward and Ole Gunnar Solskjær could be left rueing their hesitance to hand Herrera an improved contract, as they continue their pursuit of his replacement. Newcastle’s Sean Longstaff and Sporting CP’s Bruno Fernandes have both been linked, but neither possess the versatility and wide range of skill sets that Herrera does.
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Meanwhile, Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku are also incessantly being linked with moves to Italy, although both of them have joined the rest of the squad in Australia for pre-season.