This might be a bit premature but hes been linked with a move to PSG, so if he leaves this summer who do we go for? We need top quality someone that would improve our starting 11.
Potential Herrera Replacements
- Thread starter FootyGirl88
- Start date
Rabiot on free transfer.
Does he have the legs like Ander? Ander covers a lot of ground.
Saul 
McTominay? 
Better call Saul.
It's reported that he's been offered a 4 year deal - I'd say he's as good as gone.
Rabiot probably.
Rabiot probably.
Replacing Ander with regard to signing a run of the mill box-to-box midfielder isn't hard to accomplish, but signing someone who offers a similar level of on-field commitment, mobility, tactical versatility and selflessness is definitely going to be an arduous undertaking...and only a handful (like Allan at Napoli) have the repertoire to consistently do what he does. A bit like trying to replace Gattuso at Milan, to a lesser degree...a fair few midfielders were better than him in terms of technical ability or offensive output, but his mentality and relentlessness and ability to balance the structure around Pirlo while going a lot of thankless dirty work was invaluable, and we should keep those type of oftentimes overlooked and intangible characteristics in mind.
Reckon Nicolò Barella would be a wonderful signing as an Ander replacement (and much more considering his superior passing range and dribbling ability to drive counter-attacks) — a dogged presence in the center of the park (along the lines of De Rossi or Verratti) so you wouldn't miss Ander's bite/grit and overall effectiveness off-the-ball, and could develop into a better central midfielder if all goes well.
Only 22 so there's plenty of time for him to hone his skills...which would make him a good investment with both the immediate term and far future in mind, IMO.
Reckon Nicolò Barella would be a wonderful signing as an Ander replacement (and much more considering his superior passing range and dribbling ability to drive counter-attacks) — a dogged presence in the center of the park (along the lines of De Rossi or Verratti) so you wouldn't miss Ander's bite/grit and overall effectiveness off-the-ball, and could develop into a better central midfielder if all goes well.
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/45589553
Only 22 so there's plenty of time for him to hone his skills...which would make him a good investment with both the immediate term and far future in mind, IMO.
Mbappe on a free
The board better offer Herrera a new deal.
Regardless if we go after a midfielder in the summer or not, he should remain as a bench option (if we get another mid) or continue anchoring behind Paul...Herrera’s passion and leadership is just unmatched. He bleeds United and with all the extra press United get for being as big as they are, he brings a sense of unity and sets players straight.
twitter.
com/themanutdway/status/1097614414713405440?s=21
^that is him on any given night. You simply cannot replace that under any circumstance especially with how many external factors try to break the team/players spirits with weekly headlines and such.
I’d be genuinely shocked if the club let him walk.
Regardless if we go after a midfielder in the summer or not, he should remain as a bench option (if we get another mid) or continue anchoring behind Paul...Herrera’s passion and leadership is just unmatched. He bleeds United and with all the extra press United get for being as big as they are, he brings a sense of unity and sets players straight.
twitter.
com/themanutdway/status/1097614414713405440?s=21
^that is him on any given night. You simply cannot replace that under any circumstance especially with how many external factors try to break the team/players spirits with weekly headlines and such.
I’d be genuinely shocked if the club let him walk.
Last edited by a moderator:
We could replace him with Sangare and Rabiot. Sangare to compete with Matic and eventually replace him, Rabiot as the #8. That's if we are willing to take the risk and make it work with Rabiot. We'd actualy be better potentially, if we can make it work.
Im not sure we should replace him by a similar player. I think we need more creativity.
My number one option: Daniel Parejo
Other good (and realistic options): Rabiot, Ndombele or Milinkovic-Savic
My number one option: Daniel Parejo
Other good (and realistic options): Rabiot, Ndombele or Milinkovic-Savic
It would be very frustrating if after years of managers criminally underutilising Herrera and him still seeming totally committed to the cause, he fecks off a few months after manager finally starts trusting in him.
Allan, Kante, Saul, Ndidi, Carvalho probably would hit the ground running as like for like Herrera replacements.
Would need to be a bit more patient with Sangare, Samassaekou, Barella, Rice etc
Would need to be a bit more patient with Sangare, Samassaekou, Barella, Rice etc
Just keep him.
Wouldnt be bad to start thinking about replacements anyway as he's nearing 30. Got about 2-3 more years in him after which we need to have someone there ready to fill the void.
Saul, Rabiot, Barella...
Last edited by a moderator:
I think most of us would prefer to keep him - the board has other ideas clearly
Kante and Saul are the only options, but they'd both cost quite a bit and it'll be much better if we simply kept Herrera.
Rabiot coming here on a free with Herrera going there on a free would be decent. Hes questionable in terms of his mentality but it's a potential quality free signing replacing another free so it'd still be good business.
Fred and Rabiot will more than replace Ander Herrera
Any like for like replacement would need to be free also, otherwise it'll be coming out of our summer budget and I'm sure Ole has already earmarked that down to the last piece of silver.
I would absolutely keep him if it was up to me. Not the best player in the world and could be replaced quite easily, if we only talk about footballing skills. Which we really only should talk about. Anders character is great, a passionate fighter who is ready to do anything for the team.
I can only think of two scenarios where he is leaving:
A) He fancies a new challenge and wants to leave
or
B) We already have a replacement done and dusted and we are letting him go because he and the management knows he will not be playing much from here on.
In a perfect scenario he stays and will still add a player so that his playing time would be limited or he fills in the Matic role.
Just get Hector Herrera.
Jokes aside, will be hard to find an improvement on his defensive abilities who is as mobile. There are others who could play his role , with ‘better quality on the ball’, but they won’t win the thing back and tackle people as often, which he’s crucial for.
Tbh, Hector Herrera actually wouldn’t be a bad replacement, but my choice would be Nico Barella. Kid is a star.
Jokes aside, will be hard to find an improvement on his defensive abilities who is as mobile. There are others who could play his role , with ‘better quality on the ball’, but they won’t win the thing back and tackle people as often, which he’s crucial for.
Tbh, Hector Herrera actually wouldn’t be a bad replacement, but my choice would be Nico Barella. Kid is a star.
The problem with our midfield is Matic. Replace him with an actually good defensive midfielder and we won't need another Herrera doing his work for him, we would be able to play a more technical player who could help us in possession and take some of the creative burden off Pogba.
Look at City's midfield of Ferdnandinho, Silva, De Bruyne. Real Madrid's CL dominating midfield of Casemiro, Modric, Kroos. Barcelona's all conquering trio of Busquets, Xavi and Iniesta. This is the level I want to see United at and we can't even approach that with Matic in our side as he will always need a Kante or a Herrera type covering for his flaws.
Look at City's midfield of Ferdnandinho, Silva, De Bruyne. Real Madrid's CL dominating midfield of Casemiro, Modric, Kroos. Barcelona's all conquering trio of Busquets, Xavi and Iniesta. This is the level I want to see United at and we can't even approach that with Matic in our side as he will always need a Kante or a Herrera type covering for his flaws.
Selling fellaini was a mistake?
I agree to an extent in terms of needing to replace Matic. But ideally, we should look for a more controlling DM, an aggressive b2b all-around midfielder like Herrera and Pogba imo. Something similar what Pogba had in Juventus with Vidal and Pirlo. Saul is that type of player but would cost a fortune. Maybe Barella, he is already mentioned above and likes to occupy the right side of midfield from little I've seen. At a perfect age too.
In short, we would need 2 midfielders if Herrera leaves. Certainly 1 and if I had to choose my priority it would still be quality Herrera replacement before Matic.
Morgan Sanson / Marseille - Wouldn't be a bad replacement. Probably be a little cheaper than alternatives but he's good defensively with the ability to move the ball about and score/assist.
Nicolò Barella / Cagliari - Similar to Sanson but a few years younger, i'm shocked nobody has got hold of him yet. A very good investment.
Lorenzo Pellegrini / Roma - Not as busy defensively, don't think he'd be the right replacement if we were wanting a like for like replacement.
Tanguy Ndombélé / Lyon - I think he's quality, he'd be probably the most expensive player from this list but he has undeniable talent. Excellent with the ball and decent defensively.
If we wanting top talents, i'd be hitting one of Barella or Ndombele. Sanson is a safe cheaper bet, Pellegrini would imo be an expensive mistake. Sander Berge and Sandro Tonali should be considered as potentials as well. Tonali being the odd one out from this list as he's much younger than the rest. He's got undeniable talent though. I've not seen Sander Berge live, but know he's hyped and needs to move on from Genk.
Personally, i'd avoid Rabiot. He's the type of player that causes problems not fixes them. He's got obvious talent but he's a problem player and given we've got a young squad we should avoid players like him. Dont want bad habits rubbing off on them.
Nicolò Barella / Cagliari - Similar to Sanson but a few years younger, i'm shocked nobody has got hold of him yet. A very good investment.
Lorenzo Pellegrini / Roma - Not as busy defensively, don't think he'd be the right replacement if we were wanting a like for like replacement.
Tanguy Ndombélé / Lyon - I think he's quality, he'd be probably the most expensive player from this list but he has undeniable talent. Excellent with the ball and decent defensively.
If we wanting top talents, i'd be hitting one of Barella or Ndombele. Sanson is a safe cheaper bet, Pellegrini would imo be an expensive mistake. Sander Berge and Sandro Tonali should be considered as potentials as well. Tonali being the odd one out from this list as he's much younger than the rest. He's got undeniable talent though. I've not seen Sander Berge live, but know he's hyped and needs to move on from Genk.
Personally, i'd avoid Rabiot. He's the type of player that causes problems not fixes them. He's got obvious talent but he's a problem player and given we've got a young squad we should avoid players like him. Dont want bad habits rubbing off on them.
How about Donny van de Beek (Ajax)? He isn't exactly their star player, but this guy was immense against Madrid and Bayern. Very allround and at Ajax he's being used as a penetrating midfielder and pretty good passer. Only 21 years old and since he isn't on everyone's radar, he shouldn't cost to much.
Or Julien Brandt, from Leverkusen. Before Bosz was their coach, he played as a winger. But he's really coming to life as a midfielder. Great technique, vision and discipline.
I liked Aouar against City as well, but he's probably a bit more expensive already. Liverpool is chasing him I believe, but why not United?
Or Julien Brandt, from Leverkusen. Before Bosz was their coach, he played as a winger. But he's really coming to life as a midfielder. Great technique, vision and discipline.
I liked Aouar against City as well, but he's probably a bit more expensive already. Liverpool is chasing him I believe, but why not United?
rabiot/thiago alcantara/rakitic/
Last edited:
In McTommy we trust!
Ideally the club will offer Herrera a new deal and hope he stays,which is what I still think will occur.
But if that scenario doesn't appear on the horizon then I would like to go for a player who offers us slightly different characteristics in their playing style.
A player in the mould of Modric would be ideal,for me.
But if that scenario doesn't appear on the horizon then I would like to go for a player who offers us slightly different characteristics in their playing style.
A player in the mould of Modric would be ideal,for me.
Ndombele, Neves, Saul, Rabiot.
Herrera doesn't have enough quality on the ball for us to move forward with him as an integral player in the starting 11. You take away his work ethic and your left with a mid table player.
Solskjaer inherited a midfield that lacks balance, the reason why Ander works well is because of how seemingly slow Matic is to cover the ground. If we had a more mobile central defensive midfielder, Herreras influence is significantly reduced. He's been at this club for 5 seasons, he's simply not good enough for the level we all aspire to.
Simply rewatch the PSG home leg, they marked Pogba out of the game and our midfield was exposed offered nothing.
Herrera doesn't have enough quality on the ball for us to move forward with him as an integral player in the starting 11. You take away his work ethic and your left with a mid table player.
Solskjaer inherited a midfield that lacks balance, the reason why Ander works well is because of how seemingly slow Matic is to cover the ground. If we had a more mobile central defensive midfielder, Herreras influence is significantly reduced. He's been at this club for 5 seasons, he's simply not good enough for the level we all aspire to.
Simply rewatch the PSG home leg, they marked Pogba out of the game and our midfield was exposed offered nothing.
Just curious do you prefer 200k/week for Herrera or 250k/week for Rabiot? Both has no resale value as Rabiot will run down his next contract and leave for free as well.
Phil Jones.
Neves
This, times a thousand.
From what I've seen this kid is class. The 'old head on young shoulders' bit is a great quote which I think describes what I've seen of him wonderfully.
Think we can all agree that Matic is the one that needs replacing more urgently at the mo, were we given the choice. I'd like to see Neves or Tonali brought in in a perfect world, with the former stepping quickly into the first team & latter being eased in over the course of a season. Maybe it's lacking a bit in experience but I really like the look of:
Pogba --- Barella
-------- Neves ------
Here's to hoping this is all agent waffel eitherway as I've always had a soft spot for Herrera.
Imagine leaving now of all times !
We should break the bank for Kante.
Chelsea’s sold to us before. 100-120m should do the trick. He would be amazing here.
Alternative options: Sanches, Neves, Gueye, Milinkovic-Savic, Doucoure, Rabiot. All would suit United IMO.
Chelsea’s sold to us before. 100-120m should do the trick. He would be amazing here.
Alternative options: Sanches, Neves, Gueye, Milinkovic-Savic, Doucoure, Rabiot. All would suit United IMO.
Herrera replacement? Barella. Has the bite and versatility of Herrera whilst being a million times better, would more than likely cost us in the range of 50-60 million which is standard price in today's market. He's said in previous interviews he loves the premier league and its physicality so for me he'd be the perfect Herrera replacement.
Anybody seen this Savanier guy at Nimes? Whoscored has him #2 in all of Ligue 1 overall this season behind Neymar overall and 20th in Europe in tackles. Has 9 assists, takes set pieces. Is 27 years old and in his first year of top level football, but I wonder if we'll miss out on him and be mad when he has a good year for Sevilla or Leverkusen or Everton next year.