“I love you my friend” – De Gea sends message to ex-Manchester United star who revealed thought of quitting football amid recurring injuries

David de Gea has sent a message of encouragement to former Manchester United teammate Ander Herrera, urging the Spaniard not to quit the game.

On Thursday (March 2), Herrera took to Instagram to talk about his recent struggles with a recurring muscular injury. The midfielder, who plies his trade at Athletic Bilbao, admitted that he thought about quitting football, as it was excruciating for him to miss games due to injury.

He wrote:

“I am going through, without a doubt, the most difficult moment of my career. A little over a year ago I started having repetitive muscle problems from which I can't recover. For someone like me, who is passionate about his profession and enjoys it intensely every day, it is very hard. I feel the same energy and enthusiasm for football as I have during my entire career, but injuries are not allowing me to enjoy and be happy.”

Herrera admitted to contemplating retirement before revealing why he eventually decided against it.

“On occasions, it has crossed my mind to throw in the towel, but I would not forgive myself,” he added. "We want to educate our daughters in perseverance and in overcoming the obstacles that may be found along the way, and that would be exactly the opposite. I'm going to keep looking for solutions and working to get back to doing what I love the most and return the love of the people around me.”

De Gea, who played 158 games with Herrera at Manchester United between the 2014-15 and 2018-19 seasons, said that his compatriot still has a lot to offer and receive from football. He commented:

“You still have a lot to enjoy ❤️ I love you my friend”

Herrera, 33, started his career at Real Zaragoza. He announced himself to the world at Athletic Bilbao during his three-year spell there between 2011 and 2014. A four-year stint at Manchester United followed, after which he joined Paris Saint-Germain.

Three mediocre seasons later, he returned to Athletic Bilbao in the summer of 2022, initially on loan. The transfer was made permanent in January 2023.

---

Liverpool boss happy with Marcus Rashford’s red-hot form for Manchester United

The Red Devils travel to Anfield for their Premier League clash with bitter rivals Liverpool on Sunday (March 5) afternoon. Ahead of the game, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp showered praise on United’s in-form forward Marcus Rashford.

The German admitted that he was happy to see Rashford thrive this season, although given the iconic rivalry between Manchester United and Liverpool, he should not be.

“It's difficult, pretty much impossible to be happy about something at Man United as the Liverpool manager,” Klopp said (via the Independent). “One result is I am happy for Rashford; he had a difficult last year; he was not performing as he is able to perform. This will change again; he's playing incredible, the speed, technique, the calmness in front of goal.”

Marcus Rashford has been enjoying the form of his life this season, scoring 25 goals and claiming nine assists in 39 games across competitions. He was on the scoresheet in United's 2-0 win over Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday (February 26).

Last season, in contrast, was the worst of his career. The Englishman only scored five times for Manchester United in 32 games in all competitions.