HERRERA HURT BY RIVALS’ SUCCESS
THERE could hardly be a worse scenario for Ander Herrera than Manchester City coasting to the title and Liverpool reaching the Champions League final. He expects that lifting the FA Cup at Wembley today would make it easier for Manchester United to accept their rivals’ success. ‘If any player in the world tells you he doesn’t care about what the opponents do, he is lying,’ says Herrera. ‘I cannot lie to you. If I had to list at the beginning of the season who wins the Premier League and Champions League — if not United — I wouldn’t choose Manchester City and Liverpool. ‘I want to emphasise that I respect them. I don’t hate anyone. But if we finish second in the league and win the FA Cup, we can go away very happy.’ Herrera’s winner against Tottenham in the semi-final clinched United’s return to Wembley today. If the Spaniard plays, he can expect to be man-marking Eden Hazard again. When Herrera first tried it in an FA Cup tie against Chelsea last season, he was sent off in a 1-0 defeat. A month later he was man of the match, marking Hazard out of the game in a league win at Old Trafford. ‘After the second game we spoke because we had some challenges between us but he’s the best player in the Premier League,’ said Herrera. ‘I was telling Marcus (Rashford), Jesse (Lingard), Paul (Pogba) and (Marouane) Fellaini, who were in front of me, that the more difficult the ball that comes into Hazard, the easier the job is for me.’ But he will not change his style, adding: ‘I have to do my job but football is 11 players. If one player gets free with the ball and Hazard is with me, I’m dead. But I try to face every game the same way. I don’t make any difference if I’ve been sent off.’