Van Gaal condemns midfielder for Palace draw, but safeguards Rooney

ander-herrera-yeovil-town-manchester-united-louis-van-gaal-fa-cup_3247864
ander-herrera-yeovil-town-manchester-united-louis-van-gaal-fa-cup_3247864


ander-herrera-yeovil-town-manchester-united-louis-van-gaal-fa-cup_3247864

Manchester United manager Louis Van Gaal has criticized Spanish midfielder Ander Herrera for missing a crucial chance against Crystal Palace earlier today.

The Manchester United midfielder missed a glorious chance from close range after being played through by Anthony Martial.

Van Gaal said: “You have to finish the chances. In the last minute of the first half, Ander Herrera could have finished it but he didn’t. I asked him and he didn’t know why, so that is a pity. But I can’t complain about the result because I don’t think we were the better team today.”

Van Gaal’s criticism was justified but the Dutchman’s reluctance to overlook a shocking performance from Wayne Rooney was unacceptable. Previously Van Gaal has been very vocal about his admiration for the Manchester United captain, but his shielding of the player looks extremely unfair and biased at the moment.

Wayne Rooney has been abysmal this season and could have been easily dropped from the first team. However the England striker finds himself starting every game as the central striker while the in form striker Anthony Martial has been shafted out on the left wing, a decision which is quite bizarre.

Herrera has been extremely impressive for Manchester United when given a chance and in contrast to Rooney, the former Bilbao midfielder was quite sharp against Palace earlier today. 

Apart from his poor miss and a dive, the Spaniard posed a real threat with his movement near the opposition box and could well have been the match winner in the end.

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