Manchester United are set to revive their interest in Athletic Bilbao’s midfielder Ander Herrera, with club scouts due to monitor the 24-year-old in action this weekend, as David Moyes looks to make sure the January transfer window doesn’t bring the same disappointment United had to face at the beginning of the month.
Herrera was seemingly on the verge of signing for United on deadline day, but David Moyes’ reluctance to meet the £30.5m release clause and the intricate nature of Herrera’s contract with his current club ground the deal to a halt, before the whole negotiation culminated into a fiasco of epic proportions with three impostors in Bilbao acting on behalf United.
Despite the much-needed win in the Capital One Cup, Moyes is well aware of the fact that Marouane Fellaini alone can’t be considered the answer to all of United’s midfield problems, particularly as the Belgian struggled immensely against Manchester City and the feeling Moyes is yet to determine where he intends to deploy the former Everton player.
Herrera, who played on Thursday night against Real Betis, is the sort of attacking midfielder David Moyes has identified as crucial for his squad and he’s set to step up his pursuit of the Spanish midfielder between now and January, reports the Telegraph, with Leighton Baines also on Moyes’ wishlist.
The 24-year-old, whose contract expires in 2016, is normally deployed in the middle of the park for Athletic, but he’s at ease when asked to drop deeper in a defensive midfield role and can also play as attacking midfielder, following the path of the modern Spanish midfielders like Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Cesc Fabregas.
Speaking to the press earlier this week, the United manager admitted that if United are to mount a serious challenge in Europe, they’ll have to significantly bolster their squad in January. However, United have never been particularly keen to spend in the winter transfer window, particularly as a lot of players are cup-tied for European competitions but given that Athletic Bilbao missed out on European football this season, it wouldn’t be a problem for Herrera.
