Ander Herrera joined Manchester United in 2014 and played for several managers during his time at Old Trafford including Ole Gunnar Solskjær, José Mourinho, and Louis van Gaal. However, only one of them reminds the Spaniard of his current boss at Paris Saint-Germain.
In a recent interview with Stadio TV (via Daily Mail), Herrera compared Thomas Tuchel’s tactical style to van Gaal.
“In broad outline, [Tuchel] makes me think of van Gaal. He likes football organized by position.”
“He has nothing to do, for example, with Marcelo Bielsa (Herrera’s manager at Athletic Bilbao), a trainer who also favors attacking play, but who is looking for football in continuous movement, where you have to break the lines, go get the ball yourself.”
Herrera was van Gaal’s first signing in 2014 but he wasn’t always a fan of the Dutchman and after he was sacked in 2016, Herrera made it known he preferred playing for José Mourinho who replaced van Gaal at Manchester United.
Another PSG player who questioned van Gaal’s tactics was Angel Di Maria. The Argentina international only played one season for the Red Devils but blamed the manager for his surprising dip in form following a season with Real Madrid where he helped Los Blancos win the UEFA Champions League.
So, to hear Herrera compare Tuchel to van Gaal is slightly concerning. While Di Maria has thrived this season under the German tactician, Herrera is a different story as he’s struggled with fitness all season.
We have seen some cracks between Tuchel and players though. Twice this season, Tuchel has gotten into a public altercation with Kylian Mbappé on the sideline after the Frenchman was subbed out of a match.
Tuchel’s job is secure, for now, thanks to the win over Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League recently but that hasn’t stopped the rumor mill from speculating about potential successors.
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