FA CUP FINAL PREVIEW
GOING viral is maybe valued as much as receiving the man of the match award by some modern players, and Ander Herrera’s man-marking job on Chelsea’s Eden Hazard 13 months ago was the performance that launched a thousand memes.
United fans suggested Herrera was looking for Hazard while teammates celebrated Marcus Rashford’s opener, and a clip of him tracking the Belgian was set to John Williams’ Jaws theme.
Herrera scored the Reds’ second that day and the win ensured he received the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award.
So could another United player ‘pocket’ a London club’s forward at Wembley today?
“I was the one who was in the papers the next day - front page of the papers,” Herrera laughs. “But I think if we wouldn’t have had the work of Jesse [Lingard] and Marcus [Rashford] against their three defenders because they didn’t let them play the ball easy into the midfield, so that made my job much easier.
Did Hazard complain to Herrera about the ordeal? “No. He’s very nice, a very special guy,” Herrera said. “After the game we spoke because we had some challenges between us but, in my opinion, he’s the best player in the Premier League.
“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. That guy has to have one of my team-mates on him making it difficult for him. Football is 11 players, sometimes 14, it’s not only one player.”
Herrera is expected to duel with Hazard again today but his place did not seem a certainty until a month ago.
His recall and busy performance in the win at Bournemouth secured an FA Cup semi-final place three days later, where Herrera’s aggressive pressing resulted in a winner.
The 28-year-old has endured a variable campaign where playing time has been curtailed by Nemanja Matic and a hamstring injury which restricted Herrera to one start in two months.
“When I don’t play of course I am not happy, but when I don’t play I am also very happy with myself because I give everything every day, every minute, every second to be on the pitch,” Herrera said.
“If I am on the pitch I’m very calm with myself because I know I’ve done everything to be there, so that’s the way to be and the way I’ll feel until the last day of my career.
“I don’t think if you don’t take your chance it’s the last chance you have in the season.
“He [Jose Mourinho] gives you some chances. We have four competitions and have to play a lot of games.
“I don’t go crazy when I don’t have my best game. If I play well I’m not very very happy and if I play badly I’m not very, very sad. I just try to keep my balance. “My age and experience has helped me to keep that balance. If you work hard and you respect the ones who are playing at that moment but try to give everything you have when you play, whether that’s five minutes or 30 minutes, sooner or later football is fair.” The Reds extended Herrera’s contract in November which leaves the Basque with just over a year left on his deal. “My future is the cup final,” Herrera said. “I want to stay longer, but you never know what is going to happen in football. It is only my decision. “And to be honest, I don’t want to look too far ahead. In football, what today is black, is tomorrow white. “So if you think about what can happen in the summer, maybe the club signs four midfielders and they don’t want me any more.” United intend on signing two midfielders if Marouane Fellaini departs, with Michael Carrick having played his final game for the club after 12 years. Carrick’s retirement has left the captaincy role vacant and a year ago Herrera was the fans’ favourite to inherit it from Wayne Rooney, but Ander Herrera