Ander Herrera Interview

Ander Herrera is just one of the influx of new players at Old Trafford this season. The Spanish midfielder was so determined to move to Old Trafford that he paid his own buyout clause to switch from his hometown club Athletic Bilbao so the £29million deal could go ahead.

Here, the 24-year-old tells MUDSA why he’s determined to put Manchester United back on top of the Premier League…

RR: You say your English isn’t very good, but we think it’s great. Are you quite well educated?

Yes, I studied English in school for about ten years.

RR: We heard a bit of a rumour that you’ve got a degree, too. Is that right?

Almost, I was in university, but I had to finish to concentrate on football. I stopped studying because of the football.

RR: It’s been quite warm in England, but you’ll soon be needing to wrap up!

Ha, yes. Two weeks ago, we had very good weather. But now, the weather is a bit like Bilbao where it’s always raining. But I’m happy here!

RR: There are quite a lot of Spanish speaking players at United now — Rojo and Mata are just two. Against QPR, there were six players who could speak Spanish. Do you use Spanish on the pitch?

The boss has said that on the pitch, and at The Aon Training Complex when we train, we have to speak English. We are playing at an English club and he says it’s important for us to do so. I agree, also.

RR: Is Louis van Gaal’s Spanish good?

Yes, it is! We can understand him. It’s not very, very good, but he does speak Spanish with Di María, Falcao and Rojo sometimes.

RR: So, how have you settled in here at Manchester United? Have the other players been helping you find your way around?

Yes. All the players made me feel at home. When I signed for Manchester United, you maybe feel that it might be strange because this is a huge club, but I didn’t feel like that. This is a big club, but it’s a big family club as well.

RR: Did the players who have been here for some time, like Rooney, all make you feel welcome?

The older players are like the best captains that you could have, because they work not only on the pitch, but in the squad, in the club and in personal lives. They don’t just work for Manchester United on the pitch.

RR: What are the biggest differences you’ve found with training since moving to United? We’ve never done an interview at 4pm as training used to be finished earlier. Now you’re training in the afternoon too…

We do football training, individual fitness training, recovery and I will also do English lessons too! The boss always makes sure that we recover well and the club works on an individual’s recovery. On a normal day, we will be leaving training at 2pm.

RR: How far does the group unity go now? I mean does Louis van Gaal eat together with you guys…?

Yes, that’s important for Louis van Gaal, but also for me as well. If you want to manage developments, you have to stay together. You have to work like a family. It’s important that we do things together every day like eating, so we can have time with all the players in the squad. Everyone has the same objectives and if we are together it is much better.

RR: And how different is that from where you were before?

It’s not different really. Of course every club will have their methods, but I think Louis van Gaal is very similar to my manager at Athletic Bilbao, Ernesto Valverde. They both want their players to always keep the ball, to always win the game and not to change your style for the opponent, but rather to impose your style on the other team. We are Manchester United and we always want to go for the win.

RR: In his interviews Louis van Gaal talks a lot about a philosophy. What’s the biggest thing that you have learnt from him so far?

His philosophy is to always work together, like a team. There is no difference between the young players and the older ones. As one of the young people, I have to respect the older players, of course. They are the ones who have played a lot of games for Manchester United. Louis is similar with all of the players and he always wants everyone to be equal.

RR: What’s it like to score at Old Trafford?

Oh, it’s good — a dream come true. It was my second game at Old Trafford and I scored
[against QPR]. Scoring is always important, but so is the win. If I score and we don’t win, nobody remembers my goal. We got confidence from that win, because our first three games were not good. We were working well, and we were working hard, but the results were not good. Now we have won back confidence and I think that in the next games we are going to be more clinical.

RR: Was it easier with four at the back?

We don’t mind whatever system. We just want to win. The boss has to decide the system and we have to adapt to whatever he needs. We have all week to work on the system he needs. We don’t have to play on Wednesday or Thursday at the moment and we can adapt to all systems. It will depend on the opponent which system we use. The team can adapt to any system.

RR: How much is everyone missing the Champions League?

A lot, because we want to play Champions League football. The last season was not good and we will have to improve this season. We have to be at the top of the league as soon as possible because we are Manchester United. Of course, we need the Champions League, but I think we are going to work hard this season and hopefully we are going to enjoy the Champions League again next season.

RR: There are nine players injured at the moment. When they come back, that’s 23 players and only 11 starting places. There’s going to be a lot of competition for the squad members…

Yes, but we are at Manchester United for that — competition for places. We all want to play and win a lot of trophies. I think the competition for places is good because it helps you to improve as a player. It’s definitely good for me.

RR: One of the things about Manchester United is that when we play away from Old Trafford there is always a big following…

Yes, that’s a big difference. It’s the most followed club in the world. I’ve played for Athletic Bilbao and Real Zaragoza, both clubs with a lot of history, but Manchester United is the biggest in the world. It has the most followers and, of course, I feel the difference but I am enjoying the support wherever we play.

RR: Old Trafford must seem so big…

Yes, but it is nice. There’s also a lot of atmosphere to take in, and the history behind the club too. I feel a lot of respect when I take to the pitch. I feel the big players who have played there before and I want to make it to the top of the game too.

RR: And what about The Aon Training Complex?

I came here two or three months ago and I still haven’t met everyone who works here because it’s so big! It’s fantastic because everyone wants the very best for the players and there’s always someone here to help you in all the aspects of football — not only in football, but in your personal life as well, your home, your family.