Ander Herrera experienced a difficult night at Stamford Bridge, with the Spaniard earning two yellow cards in the first half of Manchester United’s 1-0 defeat to Chelsea in the FA Cup quarter final. His red card was the second of this season, meaning that Herrera will serve a two-match ban as this was his second dismissal of the season, having also received his marching orders in United’s 0-0 draw with Burnley in October.
It comes at a particularly galling time for United boss Jose Mourinho, who is also missing Zlatan Ibrahimovic after the Swede’s ban for elbowing Bournemouth’s Tyrone Mings. Ibrahimovic will also miss the upcoming Premier League games against Middlesbrough on Sunday, and the visit of West Bromwich Albion on April 1st, both of which will be crucial fixtures in United’s quest to secure themselves a top four finish.
Given Herrera’s importance in a United midfield that is geared around getting the best out of Paul Pogba, his absence could prove costly, given that the Frenchman has struggled to produce his best form without Herrera’s energy and pressing. His availability for Thursday’s Europa League meeting with FC Rostov is a silver lining, however, with United well-placed to progress to the quarter finals after Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s away goal in last week’s first leg.
