Is new Manchester United star Ander Herrera worth his price tag?

To say I was shocked when a lot of top newspapers and journalists were reporting Herrera to Manchester United as almost done is an understatement. I have been following the Basque man ever since his performances against United in the 11/12 Europa League edition.

Herrera was an integral part of the team that finished as runners-up in the Europa League and Copa Del Rey the same year. I came across a lot of people telling Manchester United are overpaying for the midfielder, someone who has not broken into his country’s 23 man World Cup squad. Herrera has been one of Spain’s promising talents having played 30 games for the U20, U21 and U23. He scored a crucial goal in the finals of the Uefa Euro U21 Championship 2011, helping Spain become champions.With a dismal performance the Spanish National team in the 2014 World Cup, it is safe to say that Ander Herrera along with the likes of Koke and Thiago will become an integral part of the team. National team selections are influenced by a lot of factors. For instance, Manchester City midfielder Fernandinho was not a part of Scolari’s plans until Feb 2014. Fernandinho was a very important player for City and he had not broken into his country’s setup either.

So What kind of player is Ander Herrera?

Over the last two years I have seen him being fielded across all three positions in central midfield. Ander Herrera is a complete midfielder who has improved gradually over the last 3 years .Herrera is definitely a player who can provide the drive in midfield, something Manchester United are in desperate need of. He is a very good dribbler with a nice range of passing. He contributes a lot in defense as much as he does in attack.Someone who is not afraid to have a go when he gets into shooting positions. He averaged 2.1 shots per game last season, something that is a lot for a central midfielder. Ivan Rakitic was the only central midfielder who managed more shots on goal than him.

Last season Herrera was given an advanced role in central midfield and he adapted very quickly to it and was Athletic Bilbao’s best player last season along with midfield partner Ander Iturraspe. Midway through last season Ander Herrera was used in a midfield pivot along with Iturraspe and he performed even better. The Versatile midfielder was also used on either wings for a couple of games. However something that makes this guy a lot more special is his movements off the ball. Herrera always looked restless, constantly moving around offering his support to his teammates. He has a very high work rate and a solid understanding of the game.

The above image is a comparison of Ander Herrera’s attacking stats with the Manchester United midfield. Herrera is an upgrade over all of United’s midfielders in terms of attacking contributions. ManUtd have lacked the sort of player who creates chances from midfield, takes on players and shoots when an opportunity arises. Herrera is an answer to almost all their troubles.

Herrera’s defensive contributions have been impressive too. Remember that Herrera was used alongside a defensive midfielder and there were little expectations from him in terms of his defensive contributions. Yet Herrera managed 2.64 tackles every 90 minutes . Another similar player to Herrera like Strootman Or Vidal could make them a perfect pivot for Manchester United. The other viable option is to partner him with a defensive midfielder.

While Herrera has been impressive in terms of Attacking and Defensive contributions he is far behind in terms of passing, a very important attribute for a central midfielder. However one debatable point in his favor is the amount of risky passes he makes, these could affect the overall pass completion rates.

Nevertheless, Herrera must work on his passing and improve a lot if he has to thrive under new coach Louis Van Gaal.

Two very important qualities of his that makes him a top player are his commitment and consistency. Ander Herrera has always put 100% in every game I have seen him play, be it against 2nd division teams or Title favorites.

Is the Spaniard a big game player?

He has also put in a number of commendable performances against top teams like Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Mardid (Copa Del Rey). The table below shows Ander Herrera’s performances against top sides in La Liga . He did not feature in either legs against Atletico Madrid in the league and the away game against Real Madrid in the league. Athletic Bilbao lost all the three games he did not feature in.

Comparison with other United targets – Fabregas, Clasie, Strootman and Kroos

Herrera is clearly not given enough credit for the work he does.

Final verdict on Herrera:

Ander Herrera would be a very important signing for Manchester United IF they make it.

He has a mix of Scholes and Keane in him but has a very long way to go before he can be compared to either of them. A player with a lot of potential and talent, can definitely become a World class midfielder in the next few seasons under Louis Van Gaal.

Manchester United, however have to make another signing, probably a defensive midfielder or a similar player to Herrera but with better defensive contributions and distribution. A suitable pairing according to me would be Luis Gustavo.

He has been very impressive for Brazil so far and Manchester United should try and go for him. De Jong and Schneiderlin are other options. Overall the deal will be a win win for all parties SHOULD it happen, whether he can live up to his price tag is something we have to wait and see ! (Stats Courtesy: Squawka)