It’s not even been a week since Jose Mourinho was confirmed as Manchester United’s new manager.
In that time, conversation has quickly shifted to which players the new boss will be buying and selling in the months ahead.
Many are tipping Juan Mata to be shown the door this summer, with Mourinho selling the Spaniard to United during his latest stint as Chelsea boss.
Some of the end-of-season speculation has suggested that Mata’s countryman and friend Ander Herrera could find himself leaving Old Trafford this summer.
The former Athletic Bilbao man has, like Mata, been overlooked for Spain’s Euro 2016 squad and will be one of the players hoping to impress Mourinho when he registers for pre-season in a matter of weeks.
And by the sounds of things, the 26-year-old is extremely positive about life under the new manager.
“Working with Mourinho is a unique opportunity to work with one of the best in the world. He has a widely acclaimed method of working and I want to learn and improve. I consider his arrival to be a one-off opportunity for me to continue to develop and grow.”
Despite establishing himself as a fans’ favourite during his two years in Manchester, Herrera has found himself left out of the side for long spells during Louis van Gaal’s tenure. With Mourinho now at the helm, it appears he’s buoyed by a new opportunity to impress.
He also disagrees with the suggestion that the former Chelsea boss’ style of play is too negative and defensive.
“I find that funny. Let’s see, Mourinho played at Chelsea with Cesc (Fabregas), Willian, Oscar, (Eden) Hazard and Diego Costa. There was only (Nemanja) Matic as a defensive midfielder. That’s not an attractive style of play? Or at Madrid, where his side scored a record amount of goals in one year? And aside from that he is a coach who soaks up the pressure on the players, someone who prefers to take the heat so that his players can be relaxed.”
Better not Juan hear you saying such nice things about Jose, eh?
