Van Gaal: Herrera Must Improve

Louis van Gaal has demanded Ander Herrera to pull up his socks and improve his game, if he wants to find a way back into Manchester United’s starting 11.

After returning from injury, the €39 million euro former Athletic Bilbao player has been restricted to substitute appearances largely this season. He has only made 12 Premier league appearances in total so far.

Herrera hasn’t started a game since United’s 5-3 loss to Leicester in September. Van Gaal has now urged him to prove his worth amongst the likes of Wayne Rooney, Angel Di Maria and Marouane Fellaini, in order to start more regularly.

“I have to compare him with people like Rooney and Mata, for example, so that’s difficult, they are all at a high level – he has to improve,” said Van gaal.

“But he’s a great guy, he’s a very great professional also, so that’s not the problem – his problem is he has to compete with high level players and Rooney is also the captain so he has a privilege”.

“So then the other places are the place of the position in this system that we are playing now with a number 10 and that’s Mata and that’s Di Maria. That’s difficult to compete against but he did already know that at the moment that he signed for Manchester United.

“When you sign for a top club like he did he knows that he is had to fight but he is fighting.

He is coming back, there were a lot of weeks he was down but now he is coming back.”