Herrera: United players must take responsibility
Ander Herrera feels that the Manchester United players should take responsibility when it comes to analysing the season as a whole, as the Reds aim to end the campaign on a positive note.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with club media ahead of our final away game of the campaign against Huddersfield Town, Ander also discussed the season as a whole, his compatriot David De Gea and our upcoming match against the Terriers...
EVERY PLAYER HAS TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY
“I don’t like to talk personally, I like to talk as a group. I think football is a team sport. I think you have to analyse the season from the team point of view and we are disappointed. To be honest, when a manager is sacked, for me it’s also the responsibility of the players. We have to take responsibility for it – it is not only the manager and the staff.
"The players have a big responsibility and that’s why I think we should all feel disappointed because we haven’t been able to achieve the objectives. For me, the objectives for this club for every season should be fighting for the titles and we haven’t fought for them so let’s take responsibility every player."
DE GEA IS VERY STRONG MENTALLY
“Of course, he’s disappointed because no-one wants to make mistakes but if someone at this club is allowed to, it’s David. He has given us a lot of points in the last few years, he’s been crucial for us – probably our best player in the last seven or eight years. So no problem at all, he’ll be there helping us in the last two games.
"He’s very strong mentally, he doesn’t let anything affect him so it’s part of football. The problem is that when a defender, midfielder or a striker makes a mistake, you still have players to solve it. But when the goalkeeper makes a mistake, the majority of times it’s a goal so it’s very unfair for the goalkeepers. But when they decide to put themselves as the goalie, they know that.”
CAN WE STILL MAKE THE TOP FOUR?
“We’re going to fight for it. Of course, at the moment, it’s in the hands of Chelsea but we still have six points to play [for]. They have the Europa League in between both weeks, so we’re going to fight for it. We are disappointed because we should have won at the weekend [against Chelsea]. We played good enough to win the game. But now we have two games to try to get it [a top-four finish].”
"Football sometimes is like this where you have to wait for some results. The only thing we can do is try to win both games, first of all Huddersfield away. We didn’t win there last season [in the league] so it’s a good challenge for us. Don’t go crazy about Chelsea’s game, just think about ourselves. If we get the three points, we’ll have time after the game to think about it."
"The only thing we can do is try to win both games, first of all Huddersfield away. We didn’t win there last season [in the league] so it’s a good challenge for us."
LAST YEAR'S LEAGUE TRIP TO HUDDERSFIELD
"To be honest, that was a very difficult game – the weather, the circumstances weren’t the best but no excuses. They were better than us, they won, so this season we hope that we start the game better, we feel our intensity at the beginning of the game will be better for sure, so we will try to get the three points."
PLAYING IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
“The Champions League is where this club should always be. That’s why it’s very, very important of course. Winning titles and playing in the Champions League is the history of this club.”
"I love playing and being part of the group. Even in the bad moments, I like to be involved, to put my effort and my work and my commitment in for my team-mates, for the club, for the team."
HOW HAVE YOU COPED WATCHING FROM THE SIDELINES?
"I love playing and being part of the group. Even in the bad moments, I like to be involved, to put my effort and my work and my commitment in for my team-mates, for the club, for the team. I haven’t been able to play and I’m a very bad patient when I’m injured – my family can tell you that! Now I’m back, the other day I felt good, I’ve felt good since my last injury. I’m feeling good and I will just try to give my best in the last two games of the season.”
"I really suffer when I’m not involved. I’m not talking about playing or not playing, I just want to be available, I just want to be an option for the manager and I haven’t been an option for the last three or four weeks when we have had some important fixtures. I’m a really bad patient – if you speak to my family, they will tell you that. But I don’t want to think about this now. I want to think about what is coming in the next two games – try to get the six points and after let’s see if Chelsea make some mistakes.”
You can watch the full interview with Herrera in Sunday's Match Day show on MUTV, which gets under way at 12:30 BST.
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