Paris Saint Germain midfielder Ander Herrera has lamented that Manchester United did not treat him well while at the club between 2014 and 2019. The 31-year-old Spaniard said he always wanted to remain at Manchester United because he was happy at the club but the club’s board did not cooperate with him.
Ander Herrera joined Manchester United from Athletic Bilbao for a transfer fee worth €36 million on July 1, 2014. From that point, he became a very prominent member of the club, playing in almost every game of the season.
In the 2016-2017 season, the out-of-favor Spain international played 50 games for Manchester United, scoring two goals and providing 11 assists which helped the club to win UEFA Europa League and EFL Cup that season. At the end of the season, he won the club’s best player of the season award.
However, during the 2018-2019 season which was the last season of his 5 years contract with the Premier League club, his game time dropped drastically. Ander Herrera managed to play 28 times in all competitions for Manchester United, scoring three goals and providing three assists.
Little did he know that it was a sign that the club was not planning to renew his contract. At the end of the season, his contract with the club expired and had to move to PSG on a free transfer.
“My intention was not to leave the club and I was happy there – as happy as I am nowhere,” Herrera said.
“It was not a secret. I was negotiating for more than one year but I expected more from the board after my third season at the club when I was a player of the year. They didn’t come to me that summer, they didn’t even call me. And that was very painful for me because I had a feeling that I was giving everything.
“In saying that I have huge respect for Ed Woodward, huge respect for the board. They have always treated me fantastically.
“I know they want the best for Manchester United but in football, in life and every company in the world sometimes you don’t think the same way and I respect that. If I see Ed I will hug him. We just had different opinions about Manchester United and, in my opinion, what the club should have done.
“I want to make sure everyone understands there is nothing personal at all. That’s life. But it’s true – after the third season when I was player of the year, when I had the respect and the love from the fans, I didn’t feel that love from the club.”
Ander Herrera at PSG
In his first season in France, Ander Herrera managed to play 22 times for PSG, scoring a goal and providing 1 assist before football in the country was stopped due to the coronavirus pandemic.
So far in the 2020-2021 season, the Spanish midfielder has played 7 French Ligue 1 games for PSG but has not scored a goal nor provided an assist. Still, he has remained an important figure at the club.
Ander Herrera is expected to face Manchester United tonight, October 20, in the club’s first UEFA Champions League group H match at Parc des Princes. He is expected to compete against the likes of Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes in the middle of the pack.
👀on the⚽️ @ChampionsLeague is back tomorrow 🔴🔵 pic.twitter.com/y7BJ6zIgPO
— Ander Herrera (@AnderHerrera) October 19, 2020
