PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN’S Ander Herrera has admitted that nobody in the Manchester United squad expected to win in Paris during last season’s Champions League, the Red Devils having travelled to France following a 2-0 loss at Old Trafford.
United emerged victorious over two legs, however, defying all odds to pick up a 3-1 win at Parc des Princes to seal progression to the quarter-final stage through away goals.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side were ultimately defeated 4-0 by Barcelona over two legs in the quarter-finals, but Herrera, who signed for PSG in the summer transfer window, revealed that no one in the United dressing room had expected them to get that far.
“Nobody amongst the Manchester United players thought we’d win in Paris,” the Spain international told Canal+.
“In football you cannot lose concentration even for two minutes otherwise you pay for it. This defeat was not normal for PSG.”
Herrera has found playing time in Paris at a premium since making the switch, with competition in Thomas Tuchel’s midfield strong following a summer of recruitment. The 30-year-old, however, understands that rotation is a big part of today’s games and, as such, is not frustrated.
“I believe in Karma, I believe that everything you give, you get back,” he said. “So if I play in the starting XI, I give everything, if I play 10 minutes I give everything, if I play five minutes I give everything and if I play two minutes I give everything. And in any position.”
The big topic over the summer was whether Neymar would leave the club and return to Spain with either former club Barcelona or Real Madrid.
During that time, the media had portrayed the Brazilian’s situation as a mess due to his future being up in the air, but Herrera had only good things to say about his new team-mate – even commenting on this chances of winning the Ballon d’Or.
“The English media presented Neymar’s situation like it was hell,” he said. “He is not happy, he does not speak to French players. And I arrived here and I saw a happy player, who was laughing with everyone including the French players.
“I wondered to myself what the media was talking about. He is very happy on a day-to-day basis. He is a player who could win the Ballon D’Or, I would go 5km for him if you have to. I would run everywhere for him.”
