Herrera Heading Home?

Reports over the past week have been certainly brewing transferwise, with Ander Herrera seeming to be one of the bigger names to be mentioned. It's believe Barcelona may be interested in bringing the midfielder back to spain, due to vulnerabilities in their squad with Messi, Iniesta and Rafinha injured. Herrera put in some stellar performances last season and certainly won over Reds fans, however with new midfield additions this term, it would seem that he may be in for quite a fight to start, in the middle of the park.

Hispanic connection: Herrera and Mata have a certain Chemistry in midfield

In his debut season, Ander Herrera scored 9 goals in 31 appearances and certainly became a favourite among United supporters. Herrera has been praised for adding a certain energy to a sometimes static and predictable midfield. When passing hasn't been as quick or as crisp as it should, he has certainly lead by example, seemingly always looking to play a forward ball. Playing alongside Juan Mata has certainly seen him excel and settle in quickly. It's certainly been noted that the two enjoy a certain chemsitry on the field of play, which only means trouble for opposition sides.

Despite the afore mentioned aspects of his game, which seem like necessities, as a midfield player for Manchester United, Louis Van Gaal didn't always have Herrera down as a regular starter in his first season. It would seem the Spaniard has fallen down the pecking order yet again this season, all be it to German maestro Bastian Schweinsteiger and French midfield battler Morgan Schneiderlin.

Many have called for Ander Herrera to be pushed into the number ten role behind the striker, however early on in the season, Van Gaal pointed out his reluctance to play him there. "I like a second striker in that position, rather than a third midfielder" The Dutchman told the press after Uniteds victory at Aston Villa. "He is more of a controlling midfielder". 

With this in mind, it would seem that Herrera is destined to be fighting for a one of the two central midfield spots that Van Gaal prefers to utilise. However to break into one of the two positions is no easy task. One would think that when Bastian Schweinsteiger is fit, he will always be picked because of his world class ability and wealth of experience. Other Midfielder players like Michael Carrick and Morgan Schneiderlin offer a little more in terms of Physicality, which is why they may be making the cut over him, as United are crying out for their holes in midfield to be covered.

Messi Missed? Barcelona are thought to struggle without their talisman

So where do the Catalans come into this? It is widely thought that they are monitoring the situation of the Manchester United midfielder due to injuries within their own squad to players like Lionel Messi, Rafinha and now Andres Iniesta. Certainly the players they've lost will test the depth of the squad, however it's thought the Catalan giants are looking to recruit in January to solidify their team, with Ander Herrera thought to be favourite.

In terms of how he plays, Ander Herra certainly fits the 'tika taka' bill that Barcelona have been so famous for. There have certainly been glimpses in his first season of Herrera initiating such elegant one and two touch football, most notably with compatriot Juan Mata. Renowned for playing with a midfield three, Barcelona might see Ander Herrera as a potential cog to slide into their system to play alongside the likes of Ivan Rakitic, Sergi Roberto and Sergio Bousquets. 

Despite him not always being at the top of LVG's list of starters, United legend Paul Scholes certainly has taken a liking to the man from Spain: "He looks like he's going to score goals, he looks like he's going to make goals" The former maestro told Irelands Newstalk radio, that he thought he'd been the best of last seasons signings, which included the likes of Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao.

 

 

Whether or not Barcelona are planning to intergate him into their first eleven remains to be seen. The issue could simply be that they're looking for players to fill in and cover for their stars when they're injured, like Iniesta, Rafinha and Messi are at the minute. However with Herrera's current situation of being third or fourth choice central midfielder at United, the lure of the European champions could be quite overwhelming and maybe hard to refuse. We at RedCentral and United fans alike certainly hope this scenario won't play out and that it's in fact just a rumour, but in the world of football you can just never be too sure.