Opinion: A tribute to Ander Herrera - The one that got away

In the summer of 2014, Manchester United announced the signing of a promising 24-year old midfielder, Ander Herrera from Spanish club Athletic Bilbao for €40 million - a fee which seemed excessive at the time, but as the love affair between the player and the fans blossomed, this sum seemed more and more like a bargain.

Many fans, this author included, greeted the news with scepticism, as it was not the sort of Galactico signing they had expected - not along the lines of Toni Kroos and Ivan Rakitic -but he changed their minds quicker than they could say "Quien es Este chico?" (Who is this guy?)

The first time fans saw him play was against Queens Park Rangers, at Old Trafford, where he scored the second goal in a 4-0 win. It wasn't just the goal that caught the eye, but the way he moved on the pitch.

He seemed to be everywhere, and he seemed to be doing everything. There is nothing more satisfying to see as a fan, than a player who gives his all, no matter the result. Herrera didn't just give 100%. He gave enough for the whole team, and it seemed to most that he was the leader on the pitch, not the captain, Wayne Rooney, and it was obvious to one and all that he was the heartbeat of the club.

Herrera's verve, his energy, his vigour and his passion for the club made him an irresistible fan-favourite. He showed shades of Paul Scholes in his technical play, and attitude-wise, it was like watching Roy Keane. He threw himself into every tackle and made every pass with the same ambition, to make sure the ball ended up in the back of the net. With him, there were no grey areas - he either did or he didn't.

In the 2015/16 season, the unofficial tag of 'Most underrated Premier League Player' went, deservingly, to Leicester City's N'Golo Kante, for the unheralded part he played in their fairytale title triumph.

This irked several United fans because, in all the hype about Kante, Herrera didn't get the credit he deserved. Taking him out of the United engine room was tantamount to United's well-oiled machine becoming a jumble of old, rusty parts. This was all without even mentioning his tremendous versatility.

He could play both attacking and defensive roles to perfection. He was the beast to Paul Pogba's beauty, cleaning up after him and doing the dirty work, making sure the Frenchman could express himself.

His best performance for United is a topic that has been done to death but it must be mentioned. The man-marking job he performed on Eden Hazard when Chelsea visited Old Trafford was one to rival even that of the world's top defenders. Chelsea's fans watched on in horror as Herrera effectively marked Hazard out of the game, haranguing him at every opportunity and making sure he didn't get a moment's peace.

Herrera made sure Hazard did not have a sniff of goal all game

Herrera once said in a 2017 interview that he'd wanted to be at Old Trafford since he played against United for Bilbao, as the atmosphere blew him away, and it just seemed so perfect that he had been able to fulfil that dream because it was like having a fan on the pitch.

It felt like he represented the entire Manchester United fanbase when he slipped on the famous red shirt and proceeded to dazzle.

It was emotional for us all when he announced his decision to leave United at the end of the 2018/19 season, and having watched him light up the pitch for 4 seasons, it had seemed through all that time that he was destined to take the armband and become a United legend.

Ultimately though, no United fan will begrudge Herrera the opportunity to move on, given what the club has become recently.

However, for everyone associated with United, Herrera will forever be the one that got away.