Louis van Gaal has explained where he sees Ander Herrera fitting into his Manchester United team.
The Spanish midfielder is a popular figure with the Old Trafford faithful, but was only a substitute for the Premier League victories over Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa.
Even Adnan Januzaj, who has been linked with a move away from United this summer, started ahead of him in the No. 10 role at Villa Park, and scored the winning goal in a 1-0 victory.
But Van Gaal feels that Herrera is more suited to a deeper role in the Red Devils’ midfield.
“I like a second striker in that position (behind Wayne Rooney) more than a third midfielder,” the Dutchman is quoted as saying by the Manchester Evening News. “That is why, for example, Herrera is not playing but is always coming on as a substitute, because he is more of a controlling midfielder there.”
Michael Carrick and Morgan Schneiderlin have started United’s first two games in central midfield, but Bastian Schweinsteiger and Herrera, a £29m signing from Athletic Bilbao last summer, may get their chances against Club Brugge in Tuesday night’s Champions League third-round qualifier.
The 26-year-old scored eight goals in 31 appearances last season, nine of which came off the bench.
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