Manchester United will have to start entertaining offers for Ander Herrera now that AC Milan are closely monitoring the Spaniard. The Serie A outfit admires Herrera, who has fallen below the pecking order under Jose Mourinho this season. He is no longer selected on a regular basis to start and is more often than not overshadowed by the duo of Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic in the holding midfield role.
However, Herrera is still a key part of Mourinho’s star-stacked lineup especially with the final stretch of the campaign still left. The 28-year-old possesses a different set of skills than his teammates in the similar position as him and always brings a defensive structure into the United team. He arrived at Old Trafford in the summer of 2013 and has racked up 151 total appearances for the Red Devils while scoring 16 and assisting on 23 occasions.
Mourinho has utilised him tactically, sometimes as a substitute and sometimes as an overpowering midfield figure. United might not be in running for the Premier League title but their campaign is still pretty much alive in the FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League. A player like Herrera will come handy especially while going up against the elites of Europe.
Prying him away from England will not be an easy feat for AC Milan who themselves are struggling to make it into the European qualification spot this season. They are currently staged in the 8th spot of the Serie A and the previous summer overhaul of big money names is yet to deliver on its promise – the promise of a successful title challenge and the return to the Champions League.
The return on their investments has been meagre and it looks like further additions are necessary to continue on their path to resurgence. Gennaro Gattuso is still trying to figure out a way to integrate consistency into an already star-stacked squad. The defence has been one an issue with a lack of creativity from the midfield position. Herrera can be the perfect solution but will Mourinho let him leave?
United have struggled to match strides with their ‘noisy neighbours’ and Mourinho is eager to change that in the following season. He has won the battle over Pep in acquiring Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal and it looks like the entire attacking lineup is finally complete. He might be prioritizing a move for a left-back in the summer given the fact that he does not lose out on one his offensive players.
