Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera is confident that he can retain his place in the Red Devils first team, despite the influx of high-profile arrivals at the club.
The midfielder wasn’t exactly guaranteed of a starting place last term, managing only 19 starts as United secured a return to the Champions League.
He also featured seven times from the bench, and faced competition from the likes of Michael Carrick and Daley Blind.
During the summer transfer window, Louis van Gaal has brought both Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastian Schweinsteiger to the club, with the pair arriving from Southampton and Bayern Munich respectively [The Guardian].
The talented duo are unlikely to have moved to Old Trafford to play back-up roles, and both will be hoping to figure regularly for van Gaal over the coming campaign.
The additions appear to place Herrera in harm’s way, with the Spaniard one of the players whose playing time may well be cut following the arrivals of the high-profile pair.
However, the 25-year-old, who also has to compete with the likes of Juan Mata and Marouane Fellaini for a spot in the team, is confident that he will still be a key man, rather than a peripheral figure, during the coming campaign.
“After one season, I know how well I have to play to keep playing for Manchester United,” Herrera began, speaking to the Mirror.
“I’m happy with my development last season, but this is Manchester United — I have to keep improving if I want to play for this club.
“This is Manchester United; we have the capacity to buy new players, we have the best players in the world. But I think it’s good for me. I’m a young player, I want to keep improving but, of course, it’s always difficult to keep playing here. Now there are even better players than last season, but it’s a good challenge for me.
“I love football, I love my job and I love to improve, so I don’t see that as a problem. I see it as a new challenge that will make me better.”
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Competition in the United squad has also increase in defensive and offensive areas, with the likes of Matteo Darmian and Memphis Depay also added to compete for first-team places.
Similarly, the potential arrivals of Cristiano Ronaldo [ESPN] and Zlatan Ibrahimovic [talkSPORT]—both of whom have been linked to the club in recent weeks—will transform the strength in depth of LVG’s options.