Herrera named as player struggling with Jose

Sarah Winterburn

Ander Herrera has been namechecked in several articles claiming that Jose Mourinho is struggling to ‘reprogram’ players after Louis van Gaal’s two years in charge.

The Spanish midfielder is ‘struggling to recapture his creativity’, according to The Independent, after two years of honing his game to Van Gaal’s possession-based style.

Herrera has started just one Premier League game for Mourinho this season, though he was impressive from the bench against Manchester City.

James Ducker writes in the Daily Telegraph: ‘Ander Herrera, for example, is being asked to pass and move in a way very different to what Van Gaal wanted and Mourinho is thought to have been sympathetic to the confusion that has occasionally caused in training.’

There is also said to be an issue with United’s full-backs, with Luke Shaw and Antonio Valencia being asked to attack rather than keep possession by passing inside.

‘The new United boss criticised left-back Luke Shaw for Watford’s second goal in the 3-1 defeat at Vicarage Road last weekend, but does understand the full-backs are being asked to do the opposite of what was required of them by Van Gaal,’ writes David Anderson in the Daily Mirror.

The headline on the Daily Mirror website? ‘Manchester United’s Jose Mourinho blames Louis van Gaal for their current 3-match losing streak’

Yes. We bet he does.