More or less. He just has all the attributes of a good captain: he cares, is committed, eager to lead by example and looks to be respected and liked by his teammates (and fans alike).
I'm perplexed by the propositional content of your post, that there's a serious doubt that "[Herrera] will remain a starter next season". On what basis does your doubt rest?
If we sign a #6 and continue with a double-pivot the starters will be Pogba and new guy. Even if we stick with a single pivot midfield trio, re-sign Carrick and/or a new #6 and possibly sign another #8, as we all want, in the Kessie/Keita mold, the new guys will get minutes which would presumably be at the expense of Herrera. We need to remember that we have sold/released Schneiderlin and Schweinsteiger so will be improving our midfield options. Herrera is the player most at risk as he is not optimally used in a double-pivot, is not a #6 and in his usual performances at #8 would be replaced by a more dynamic option should be sign one. Obviously if Herrera is able to combine his work rate and general harassing with end product in the final third he would be a lot more useful as a starter but based on the entire season to date it just has not happened. I am all for giving him the chance in a better system and style of play next season and his presence gives us more leeway in prioritising other positions but to make him captain when there are legitimate questions about his long-term future in the team is unwise.
I respect the subtleties of your explanation but it rests on a highly dubious assumption although you did qualify your claims with a series of "if"s. Almost as though it were me writing "If I won the lottery...". Even after all these months you still perceive Jose as being monolithic with his tactics. Unbelievable. DId you not witness our evisceration of Chelsea on Sunday, a management masterclass which relied on a tactical departure from how we approached clubs like Burnley and Bournemouth? Herrera will not start every single game next season, but there's absolutely no question that he will be a regular starter for us, irrespective of what particular tactics Jose deploys in any given game. Herrera can create, he can destroy and he's masterful in transition. If there's an aspect of his game in which he feels he has let United down this season it's in his shot selection and execution. Too many of his shots early in the season where ill-advised and poorly taken. He'd be the first to raise his hand. Herrera can easily be used in a 4231 or 433, the latter being the likely tactical approach we'll see most of next season. But even when he unleashes a 352 Herrera fits in easily. As for your ludicrous claim questioning Herrera's "end product", that's right up there with your claim that we should have kept Memphis and let Ibra go. Actually, your true whopper was lamenting that we beat Chelsea on the ground that it would somehow lead to us beating Anderlecht or some other bizarre nonsense that doesn't even make sense even if there were a factual basis for it. Where do you come up with this shit? The strength of our squad, apart from having the league's best keeper, has been our midfield play. And the bedrock of our midfield play has been Herrera, not Pogba. Pogba has been excellent at times (and woeful at other times) but he goes missing too often. Carrick puts in fine work, but sometimes the pace of the game is too much for him. Fellaini is just Fellaini. But through all the ups and downs of his midfield colleagues, Herrera has been a colossus for us this season and his performance against Chelsea was one of the top individual performances by any United player this season. Ibra has been our clear player of the season (sorry, not Memphis) but second in the minds of most United posters I come across on other forums is Herrera. Valencia a close third. Whether you like it or not, we'll see a lot of Herrera next season.
@gatekeeper2 Can you please drop the continuous Memphis references and just focus on his posts, questions and points? It just adds irrelevant words to your already long posting style. Teso has barely mentioned Memphis in a United capacity since he left. It's time to move on.
If every one of our players had Herrera's versatility, commitment and mentality....we'd be celebrating a Prem trophy. In fact, next time we are struggling for a goal and desperate...lets just put Herrera up front. Take his shackles off and let him show the others what a will to win means.
The internet hardman of this forum has made his demand. How predictably charming. So, Teso, you state that "Herrera needs to do more." What more does Herrera need to do? Before you answer, let me remind that he's a midfielder who's not expected to score very often. Against the strongest opponent we've faced all season, Chelsea, Herrera was MOTM who neutralized Hazard, scored a goal and delivered a sensational final ball that in every way qualifies as a proper assist. What "more" does Herrera "need to do"?
Herrera is the next player in line to receive a new contract, if reports are to be believed. Fully deserved and it will be a relief to have him tied down for the foreseeable future, as he's been one of the club's top performers this season.
Ander Herrera has provided six assists in the #PL this season, as many as in his previous two campaigns combined #BURMUN pic.twitter.com/1QCGDom2R8— Premier League (@premierleague) April 24, 2017
I think he is a gem. He has the United mentality. Any future United team must include him, not as the "focal" point to build around but as a part of the spine of the team. A return of about 5-8 goals from his area of the pitch with a slight uptick in the assists would make for a good season in an actual good United team.
I could imagine him being a captain for us. At the very least he can be described as one of Mou's most dependable lieutenants. We could certainly improve on him on paper, though it'd cost a hell of a lot to do so and we could strengthen far more significantly in other areas. I'm of the opinion that we might be better served if we reward his performances by not trying to usurp him. All season we've had Mou publicly call players out and demand improvement in their mentality, work rate and effectiveness. What message does it give to Shaw, Martial, Smalling and Mkhi if Herrera, who is the best example of delivering what Mou has asked of all these players, gets bumped anyway? Sign someone to play with Herrera and Pog in their best positions, and you have the best overall impact on the team.
This. There's no question that Herrera has been and will be a vital player for United. There's no shortage of praise we could give him, but if we're to nitpick it would only be with his shot selection. But even then that's a pretty small nit to pick. His awareness, his courage, his conviction and his drive are all off the charts. Bring in another Herrera, if such a thing were possible, and we'd be silly.
That's why we need a genuine, physically able 6 to play next to play Herrera and Pogs and our midfield will be set. Herrera brings the perfect balance of technical guile, with some much needed bite in the middle. And he's another, who is genuinely selfless as well: he's not worried about individual accomplishments and will just do whatever it takes in service f the team. With a lot of the senior members of the team on their way out, he's going to become one of the longest serving members of the team (at least among regulars) and he really should be getting the armband. He looks more and more just made for that job.
There just aren't that many perfect 6's out there. Or at least who are reasonably gettable. And no, I don't anticipate us spending north of 40m for a 6. The massive outlays will be for forwards and a CB. I'd really like to see Fosu-Mensah mentored into a 6, but Jose's record in bringing up youth players to regular starter status is not encouraging.
Herrera reveals when he fell in love for United. www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/manchester-united-star-ander-herrera-10294908 Manifest destiny.
Can he become that good? Hoping. Says he is the heir to Roy Keane Finally an heir to Roy Keane: How Ander Herrera has become Manchester United’s main man Read more: http://metro.co.uk/2017/05/04/who-n...ester-uniteds-main-man-6612439/#ixzz4g7o9CkKM