Ander Herrera opens up on painful Manchester United exit
The Spanish midfielder recalled how the club ignored his desire to stay, leading to his eventual departure to PSG.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Author: Ardfern
Ander Herrera, currently nearing the end of his professional career at his boyhood club Zaragoza, has spoken candidly about the circumstances surrounding his 2019 exit from Manchester United. The Spanish midfielder, who made 189 appearances for the English club, admitted he expected to hold talks over a new deal after being named the club's Player of the Year.
According to the player, he was prepared to accept whatever terms the club offered because he felt happy in Manchester. However, the club failed to reach out to his agent for a long time, despite Herrera's attempts to clarify his situation during his holiday and at the start of the season.
When I won Player of the Year, I expected the club to talk to me about a contract. I told my agent: "Whatever they offer, I'm okay with it. I want to sign a new contract because I am very happy here." Ander Herrera
The greatest disappointment, as the midfielder notes, was the way the club handled his future. Instead of a face-to-face conversation, Herrera received a letter stating the automatic activation of an option to extend his contract for a fifth year. The lack of direct communication from the board was a painful blow.
Then, when I was on holiday, I asked my agent: "Did they call you?" — "No, not yet." — "Did they call the next week?" — "No, they didn't, Ander." Then the season started, I was playing, and they never called. Ander Herrera
Ultimately, in the summer of 2019, Herrera left Manchester United as a free agent and joined Paris Saint-Germain.