Herrera: I knew I would join United

Cape Town - Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera has revealed that it was his first visit to Old Trafford in 2012 that made him fall in love with the English giants.

Herrera, then playing for Spanish side Athletic Bilbao, met the English giants in the Europa League round of 16, and put up an impressive performance to knock his future club out of the competition. 

"We were all so happy, we were coming to the biggest stadium in England," the Spain international told Unscriptd. "The most historic stadium in front of the fans that have seen the best football, a lot of titles, a lot of great players.

"I remember I saw the rest of the stadium and I thought - I didn't say to anyone - 'It must good to play in front of these fans every weekend'.

"And then I played a fantastic game, maybe one of the best in my career and we beat United 3-2 at Old Trafford. That day I realised one day that was going to happen, I was going to put the red shirt on and enjoy Old Trafford.

"The next time I played at Old Trafford was already with a red badge, playing for United as a United player."

The 27-year-old midfielder has become a key player in manager Jose Mourinho's side this season and is a popular figure amongst the Old Trafford faithful for his tireless displays while also boasting an impressive 11 assists and two goals in 42 appearances.