Ander Herrera says he enjoyed Jose Mourinho's time in charge of Manchester United because the Portuguese manager was "a little bit of a s***house" like himself.
Herrera joined United from Athletic Bilbao in 2014 and would go on to spend five years at Old Trafford, making 189 appearances in all competitions for the Red Devils.
He would later leave for Paris Saint-Germain in 2019 and has now returned to Bilbao on loan from the French club this season.
Herrera worked under three permanent managers during his time at Old Trafford; Louis van Gaal, Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
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While the Spaniard has positive memories of all three, he reserved special praise for Mourinho.
Herrera: Mourinho is a s***house
"He is one of the greatest managers of all time," Herrera told the UTD Podcast.
"One of the most successful managers of all time. He discovered a new position for me, he made me a more defensive midfielder.
"In the first season we won three trophies: the Community Shield, the Europa League and League Cup. And we qualified for the Champions League so it was a very successful season.
"I became an important player for him as well. He made me go to the national team as well. That was a key moment in my career. Also with him, I got the fans' Player of the Season award and I am so thankful about our time together.
"He was also a little bit s***house [like me] as a coach so it was a good time [laughs]. It was a different football from Van Gaal, from Bielsa, from Valverde. I liked it, I liked to be part of the team, to help the team.
"That was more counter-attack football, a counter-attack team, but after that, at the end of the season, we won three trophies and qualified for the Champions League. It is not bad."
When asked to describe the contrasting styles of his three managers at United, Herrera added: "Very different managers.
"Van Gaal I can say, positional game coach, like a teacher sometimes for young players. Mourinho, a s***house coach [laughs]. It doesn't matter what you have to do to win, I just want to win, and we won. And Ole, a legend of the club. He believed so much in Sir Alex Ferguson’s philosophy and he wanted to bring that philosophy back to the club, but it was not easy. The players were different, the moment was different, football was different.
"I always say when people compare Sir Alex Ferguson with Manchester United coaches, we have to consider that when Sir Alex was at the club, Chelsea was a not a competitor for the club, Manchester City were not competitors, even Tottenham. They were not. So we have to realise that now the coaches are fighting against five or six teams to win trophies.
"Before, Sir Alex did amazing, but it was mostly Liverpool, Arsenal and United fighting for the trophies. So it is not easy for Ten Hag now to fight Tottenham, Chelsea, City, Liverpool, Arsenal and even Newcastle now. It is tough to be a Manchester United coach. Maybe one day I am, but it is not easy."
Topics: Manchester United, Football, Jose Mourinho, Ander Herrera, Premier League
Rory O'Callaghan