Ander Herrera Just Showed Why United Still Runs Through His Veins

Ander Herrera is 36, currently a free agent, and somehow still finding ways to remind everyone he bleeds Manchester United red. The latest proof came via a casual video posted on X, where Herrera is playing pickup with friends — and he’s wearing the full United home kit like it’s still matchday at Old Trafford.

The former midfielder spent five seasons at United after Louis van Gaal brought him over from Athletic Club in 2014. In that time, he played 189 games, scored 20 goals, and helped the club win the FA Cup, the League Cup, and the Europa League. That’s not a bad haul for a guy who grew up in Spain with no particular childhood attachment to the club.

But Herrera became a genuine fan favorite. Partly for the way he played — combative, smart, always talking — and partly because he got what it meant to wear that shirt. He said it himself at one point: “What an honor it was to wear that jersey.” On another occasion, he made it even more plain: “I love the club. It is my club in England. I want United to win every game.”

That kind of talk could sound like empty PR from some players. But Herrera backed it up with effort on the pitch and, now, with the simple act of lacing up a red shirt in a park with his buddies. In the video, he’s in a group all wearing United jerseys, and he’s still pulling off those little turns and sharp passes that made him so useful in midfield. It’s not a training session or a promotional stunt. It just looks like a guy who still enjoys playing and still wants to be associated with the badge.

After leaving United as a free agent in 2019, Herrera moved to Paris Saint-Germain, where he won two Ligue 1 titles and made a Champions League final. He returned to Athletic Club in 2022, then spent the last two seasons with Boca Juniors in Argentina. He left Boca earlier this month and is now looking for his next club. The clock is ticking on preseason, so expect something to materialize soon — either a return to Spain or maybe a surprise stop somewhere else.

The United connection hasn’t faded, though. It’s rare for a non-academy player, one who wasn’t a superstar, to stay this emotionally tied to a club after leaving. But Herrera never treated United like a stepping stone. He treated it like a privilege. And this latest video is just another reminder that some players carry a club with them long after the contract ends.