Contract with Ander Herrera: Why should Man Utd let his favorite fan go as a free agent?

Manchester United and Ander Herrera remain stuck in a contractual stalemate and it seems more and more likely that the favorite of Old Trafford fans will leave his position as a free agent in June.

It would be a real shame if the club loses a player with a remarkable personality and professionalism, someone who actually seems to have gained more confidence in United than most players, that many once considered the club's next captain and often have his best game against. Direct rivals like Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea.

He also brilliantly explained what it meant for him to play for the first time at Old Trafford when he visited Athletic in the Europa League in 2012. Herrera played a leading role tonight. there with a 3-2 victory over the Basque club. their way to knock out United.

This performance may be the moment when he became a transfer target. He attempted to sign it in the summer of 2013, before a £ 29 million contract was concluded the following year.

Impressively, Herrera is the only other player, with the exception of David de Gea, to have won the club's player of the year award, Sir Matt Busby, in the past five seasons, elected by the supporters.

After being surprised by Jose Mourinho last season, Herrera's energy and the harbadment of his opponents in midfield made him a key player, United reinforcing his intensity under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and returning what was in is becoming a disastrous campaign.

His future at the club is not a closed subject. Just this week, Herrera told Diario ABC in Spain: "I'm going to listen to United, of course, but also the other clubs, I do not close any doors."

But he also noted that, for the moment, at least, "Manchester and I do not think the same way".

This shows that the only way out of the stalemate is that United agrees to compromise and offers the player more than he is willing to do, perhaps coming close to something like the long-term contract of £ 150,000 a week that it would have been offered by French giants of Paris Saint-Germain.

Since then, Herrera reportedly asked for £ 200,000 a week to stay, while another report in recent weeks said that United was unwilling to be 'ransomed' in the negotiations.

Herrera's current salary was reported last month at £ 75,000 a week. Assuming that the stories are accurate, even if United offers him a better number to sign a new contract, his supposed demands would force the club to double, if not almost triple, what it currently earns.

And that's where the biggest problem lies.

There is no doubt that Herrera's professionalism, attitude or desire to succeed is lacking, but he is probably lacking in the innate quality that would make him an automatic supporter of every match of a team having for real ambition to win the Premier League and the Champions League.

That's not to say that it's not good enough for United. But his extended place at the club is that of a reliable rotation player. It is therefore a B + player, who will be 30 in August, asking for a salary of A +. To give in to this is not a good way to run a club.

As far as Herrera is concerned, he sees himself as a leading player and is probably well aware of the money he could potentially command in the open market, which is fair. But United can not justify paying so much to someone who is not a superstar and who lacks potential in the long run.

In the current state of affairs, it seems that Luke Shaw (£ 195,000), Romelu Lukaku (£ 200,000), Anthony Martial (£ 250,000), Paul Pogba (£ 290,000) and Alexis Sanchez (500,000 £ after bonuses) are the only ones earning more than £ 140,000 each week. Sanchez aside, all field players are 25 years old or younger, while De Gea is recognized as the best in the world at this position.

Herrera would really be intruding if he joined them with the same price.

The Sanchez deal was a mistake and caused damage to United. Not only has the Chilean failed to justify his big contract, but the fact that the club pays him so much has allowed him to set a precedent for all future contract negotiations, whether they are existing players or future candidates.

Knowing what Sanchez is bringing home, Herrera and others have the right to ask for more.

Unfortunately for one of the most popular United players of the last decade, it probably means the end of his stay at Old Trafford, and it's with a heavy heart that fans will say goodbye to him.