Ander Herrera has already played in one Europa League final but if that makes him more experienced than many of his Manchester United team-mates it is only because his present club have rarely given Uefa’s second-string competition their full attention. The midfielder reached the 2012 final in Bucharest with Athletic Bilbao, only to be beaten 3-0 by an Atlético Madrid side already beginning to respond to the newly arrived Diego Simeone.
Bilbao put out Manchester United on the way to the final, along with Schalke and Sporting Lisbon, but when they came across Radamel Falcao and a well-organised Atlético they were out of their depth. “Atlético were better than us,” Herrera said. “They were more experienced and they managed the game well.”
Related: Ajax prodigy Kasper Dolberg: coached by Bergkamp, finishes like Van Basten
He looks like a fighter now. If there's a job to be done on the pitch it is usually him doing it
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