Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has significantly improved his side\u2019s midfield options already this summer. The unveiling of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin\u2014two combative distributors who can patrol the halfway line\u2014should allow the Dutch manager to finally utilise the underrated quality of Ander Herrera.<\/p>\n
Although a bit-part player during first half of the 2014-15 campaign, Herrera made a telling contribution to the club\u2019s capturing of a Champions League place after February. He gained momentum with an assist in the FA Cup win over Cambridge United, before proceeding to underline exactly why David Moyes tried to sign him the summer before.<\/p>\n
Herrera finished his debut Premier League campaign with six goals and four assists in 1869 minutes worth of play across 19 starts and seven substitute appearances. He produced a telling contribution over 187 minutes, or once every two games, to mark himself as a creative and fearless worker in midfield.<\/p>\n
However, Herrera was forced to adapt to English football in a consistently changing midfield. Michael Carrick\u2019s failure to escape injury saw the Spaniard shackled in order for Van Gaal\u2019s side to maintain balance. Herrera produced just one goal in seven games after Carrick hobbled off during the victory over Manchester City\u2014having netted four and assisted one in the previous seven\u2014a decline partly due to LvG\u2019s squad not flaunting quality cover for the Englishman. That has now changed.<\/p>\n
As such, we can expect to see Herrera enjoy greater liberty next season. He plays immaculate football when confident, but needs a physical presence around him so that he doesn\u2019t become isolated. Although the 25-year-old will never back down from a midfield battle, he needs ample support in order to step up and begin buzzing in a way that improves United\u2019s creativity in the final third.<\/p>\n
At his best, Herrera gets the ball out of his feet on the first touch, looks up and sprays possession toward runners who are bursting forward. Positivity resides within his nature\u2014the former Athletic Bilbao man is a chirpy, constantly smiling character\u2014and his combativeness deserves to have ended Van Gaal\u2019s initial qualms about his lack of size.<\/p>\n
We saw this during United\u2019s 2-1 win over Liverpool. Not only did Herrera deliver the killer pass for Juan Mata\u2019s first goal, he proved a constant thorn in the side Joe Allen, Jordan Henderson and eventually Steven Gerrard, who was red-carded for mistiming his tackle on the Basque player just seconds after coming on at half-time. Herrera followed this performance with two strikes in the win against Aston Villa.<\/p>\n
Many of Herrera\u2019s goals came as the result of late runs last season. He succeeded with a remarkable efficiency, racking up six with just seven shots by the time he opened the scoring against Arsenal on May 17. This isn\u2019t something he\u2019s going to keep up\u2014particularly if he plays in a more advanced role now Van Gaal has more than adequate options to deploy across the middle\u2014but United fans should be itching to see Herrera working closer to Wayne Rooney.<\/p>\n