Ander Herrera must improve and fight for his place - Louis van Gaal

Louis van Gaal ahead of Manchester United’s away trip to West Ham

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Ahead of Manchester United’s crucial away tie against West Ham United, manager Louis van Gaal had a few words of advice for Ander Herrera. Manchester United summer signing from Bilbao has struggled to find a place in the starting XI having clocked just 655 minutes on the field this season in the Premier League.

The Spaniard hasn’t started a league game for United since December 2 against Stoke City as the manager looks keen to use captain Wayne Rooney in the central midfield.

When asked why Herrera isn’t involved in first team action in the past couple of months, Van Gaal said it was down to a number of players fighting for few spots in the starting lineup.

“I have to compare him with people like Rooney and Mata, for example, so that’s difficult, they are all at a high level - he has to improve,” said Van Gaal.

“But he’s a great guy, he’s a very great professional also, so that’s not the problem - his problem is he has to compete with high level players and Rooney is also the captain so he has a privilege.

“So then the other places are the place of the position in this system that we are playing now with a number 10 and that’s Mata and that’s Di Maria. That’s difficult to compete against but he did already know that at the moment that he signed for Manchester United.

“When you sign for a top club like he did he knows that he is had to fight but he is fighting.

He is coming back, there were a lot of weeks he was down but now he is coming back.”

Manchester United face West Ham on Sunday evening as they look to hang on to the 3^rd spot on league table.