Jose Mourinho has praised Ander Herrera for bringing a different level of intensity to Manchester United‘s 1-0 EFL Cup win over Manchester City.
The 27-year-old, who has made seven appearances for United this season, stepped up in the second half within his deep midfield position alongside Michael Carrick to help the Red Devils breakthrough with a goal from Juan Mata.
The United boss says his team were building on their confidence at the game went on, starting to trust their defence more, before increasing the tempo in midfield to start looking more dangerous against Pep Guardiola’s side.
Alongside Herrera’s intensity, Mourinho stated his belief that in Michael Carrick and Paul Pogba Manchester United have a midfield that can be relied upon to deliver high tempo in passing.
“We were getting confident step by step, we were starting to trust our defensive organisation and then in the second half, especially Herrera, Carrick and Pogba, they increased the tempo. They started pressing higher,” Mourinho told the club’s official website.
“I thought Ander brought the team to different levels of intensity and pressing. Then we started recovering balls and being dangerous.”
The win followed United’s disappointing 4-0 defeat to Chelsea on Sunday, where Mourinho’s side won 34% tackles at Stamford Bridge.
The four-time league cup winners will now face West Ham at Old Trafford in the quarter-final next month, as they aim to progress further than last season’s fourth-round defeat to Middlesbrough on penalties.
The Red Devils face Burnley in a Premier League clash on Saturday, with them currently seventh in the table after nine games.
COMMENTS