Former Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera has praised his former managers during his time at Old Trafford.
Herrera played with Louis van Gaal, José Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Speaking to the club’s media, Herrera described Van Gaal as a strong guy with a big heart. He praised the Dutch manager for his courage in forging ahead as the Netherlands manager despite battling illness.
The Spaniard credited Van Gaal with making him a better player and helping him learn to move the ball, as opposed to his one-sided early mover ability.
Herrera ended his glowing tribute to Van Gaal by thanking the 71-year-old for guiding the team to an FA Cup and molding him into a better footballer.
Speaking of Mourinho, Herrera said: “He is one of the best coaches of all time. One of the most successful coaches of all time. He discovered a new position for me, he made me a more defensive midfielder ”.
“He was kind of gross too. [like me] as a coach so it was a good time [laughs]. It was a different kind of football from that of van Gaal, that of Bielsa, that of Valverde. I liked it, I liked being part of the team, helping the team.
Herrera added: “That was more counter-attacking football, a counter-attacking team, but after that, at the end of the season, we won three trophies and qualified for the Champions League. Not bad.”
The Athletic Bilbao star revealed details about one of Mourinho’s iconic moments on the United bench: when he held up three fingers in the air after the 2017 Europa League triumph.
The former United man said that Mourinho was referring to the three titles won that season.
Regarding Solskjaer, Herrera described the Norwegian as “one of the best men in football”. The Spaniard stepped forward to talk about Solskjaer and his humility in the way he interacted with the club’s players and staff.
On why Solskjaer may have failed, Herrera attributed this to his attempt to recapture Sir Alex Ferguson’s style, which was not easy considering the difference in times, players and football.
Herrera revealed that Solskjaer fought hard to keep him at Old Trafford, but ultimately the club bosses had the last word, hence his move to France with Paris Saint-Germain.
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