Man United recorded their first home win in the match against
Tottenham on Sunday. The Reds had dominated their previous matches against Stoke City, Arsenal and West Ham but have had to share the points, the results have been the opposite of their performances which can be traceable to individual errors most times.
And despite that Ander Herrera has always stood out in the midfield for United. He is the unsung hero of the team and as rightly said by football pundit Gary Neville, he is United’s firepower because he is always exactly where is needed on the pitch.
The 27-year-old dispossed Harry Kane in the middle of the pack and passed to Henrikh Mkhitaryan for the only goal of the game, and was active defensively throughout the match.
The Spaniard was brought to Old Trafford from Atletico Bilbao by
former boss Louis Van Gaal but it still remains a mystery why he was rarely used by the Dutch coach despite his obvious qualities.
But this season, Jose Mourinho have seemingly built the team around him. His presence allows Paul Pogba, Mkhitaryan and Michael Carrick to concentrate more on the attack. He has given the team rhythm, he can break up attacks, retains possession and can read the game perfectly as well as intercept passes.
When he was not being used last season, it was difficult for United to attack properly and there were many incohesive passes.
His continuous presence in the team this season has made United’s attack cohesive and passes have more direct. He bring out the best qualities in players around him.
He is what United has been in need of since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson and the departure of the likes of Nemanja Vidic, Rio
Ferdinand and Patrice Evra.
Based on that, he seems a key player for Mourinho as the team continue to progress under him.