Manchester United roared back to winning ways with a thumping 3-0 win away to Everton earlier this evening.
After a humiliating defeat against Arsenal in their previous game, Louis Van Gaal said that his team is focused and they will come up with a fitting reaction against the Merseyside outfit today.
Goals from Herrera, Schneiderlin and Wayne Rooney secured a vital win for Manchester United, who are now second in the Premier League table.
Since the start of the season Louis Van Gaal has had to depend on Anthony Martial for goals. Despite their solid defence, Manchester United rarely looked threatening without Martial. The likes of Rooney and Depay have struggled to find their goalscoring form so far and the midfield has not contributed enough either.
Ander Herrera scored his fourth goal of the season and despite his form in front of the goal Van Gaal has only started him 3 times in the league this season.
Amazing stats from Opta reveal that Ander Herrera has scored 8 times in the league with his last 10 shots on goal. Herrera has not only been an outstanding goal threat, his conversion rate can eclipse that of the best goalscorers in world football.
8 – Ander Herrera has scored eight goals from just 10 shots on target in the Premier League for @ManUtd. Clinical.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 17, 2015
The Spaniard has shown that he has the technical ability to operate as an attacking midfielder and can provide a goal threat as well as increased control in the middle of the park.
It is a mystery to both United fans and neutrals why Herrera has not featured often this season. At times Manchester United have missed a ball carrier alongside Carrick/Schweinsteiger and Herrera seems the perfect fit.
Some have suggested that Herrera has a lot of craft, but the former Bilbao man might be lacking in graft and therefore remains outside of Van Gaal’s first team picture.
This is simply not true.
Only Juan Mata has worked harder than Ander Herrera in terms of distance covered on the pitch. Apart from his fantastic playmaking skills and goalscoring, Herrera has been a constant presence for United. The Spaniard has pressed the opposition relentlessly in every game so far.
So the question here is, if he can pass, create, score and provide ample defensive cover, why has Van Gaal overlooked him?
The Dutchman has clearly ignored Herrera in favour of a slow midfield pairing of Carrick and Schweinsteiger this season. In football, the only right thing is the one that works well and Van Gaal’s decision to go with a slow midfield pairing has cost him against sides that press and play with intensity (Arsenal and Swansea).
Is it time for Louis Van Gaal to bring Herrera back into the starting lineup permanently? Let us know in the comments below.
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