Manchester United’s pursuit of Ander Herrera was one of the more fascinating transfer tales that the club has been involved in. The former Athletic Bilbao midfielder was reportedly a target for the club in the summer of 2013 when David Moyes was manager, but a deal fell through on transfer deadline day owing to complicated contract issues that required the player to deposit the full fee for his release. A year later when Louis van Gaal took charge, United finally got their man and Herrera brought to Old Trafford, where he has become a terrace favourite and notched 17 goals in 161 appearances.
After four years in Manchester, however, it appears as though Herrera’s time at the club might be coming to an end. That’s if a report by the Daily Mail is anything to go by, anyway. Citing a report in Spanish publication AS, they suggest that Athletic Bilbao are keen to bring the player back to the Basque region, and would even be willing to wait another year to seal his signature after his current deal was extended by United for another 12 months. The club are thought to be hesitant to sell the midfielder without a potential replacement in mind, however.
At this stage of Herrera’s career, a move back to Spain may end up suiting both parties in 2019. Not that the player has been a failure in any way, but having spent the majority of last season on the bench, and with Nemanja Matic, Paul Pogba and now the £52m purchase of Fred to contend with, it appears as though Herrera will have increased competition for a spot in Mourihno’s midfield plans. Having experienced a non-descript season by his own standards, the pressure is surely on the Spaniard to step up his game in order to force his way into Jose Mourinho’s plans on a consistent basis.
