Ander Herrera impressing behind Paul Pogba in Man Utd midfield

 Ander Herrera has impressed in Manchester United's midfield and he looks set to start against Liverpool on monday. The Spaniard already looks like Jose Mourinho's best partner for Paul Pogba in the middle of the park.

Herrera has had to be patient at United. The former Athletic Bilbao midfielder has featured sporadically for the most part, struggling to nail down a place in the team and frequently finding himself on the fringes. 

Herrera started just 36 out of 76 Premier League games in his first two seasons at Old Trafford under Louis van Gaal, and history seemed to be repeating itself when he was relegated to the bench by Mourinho after playing in United's 3-1 victory over Bournemouth on the opening day of the new campaign.

 

"Ander came on in the second half and he was the one who allowed us to recover the ball fast, to press higher, to bring the team higher, to recover the ball, to build a new wave of attack, to put another long ball into the last line," said Mourinho. "Ander was phenomenal in his attitude."

The 27-year-old was back on the bench for the 3-1 defeat by Watford despite Mourinho's praise, but he returned to the starting XI for the 4-1 thrashing of Leicester, and he remained there for their 1-1 draw with Stoke - a performance Mourinho described as United's best of the season so far, despite the  result.

 For while it's not always Herrera who plays the final pass, his dynamism from deep injects speed into United's attack. Juan Mata's selection ahead of Wayne Rooney has also contributed in that regard, but Herrera's underlying importance was highlighted by his absence against Zorya Luhansk, as United mustered just two shots on target in a laboured 1-0 win at Old Trafford.