Alex Ferguson and Manchester United didn’t have the best of starts to their 2012-2013 Premier League season, which means that there’s still time and room for one more signing before the end of the transfer window, which just might be Hector Herrera, a Mexican midfielder from Pachuca.
The 22 year old player impressed many people with his play for the U-23 side, which began its summer by winning the Toulon tournament, where Mexico won after beating Turkey 3-0 in the final and the Netherlands in the previous stage. In the Olympics, it worked even better, beating Senegal, Japan and in the final Brazil, en route to the nation’s first gold medal in the football tournament.
Herrera won the player of the tournament award for his performances in Toulon and he added a goal to his tally in the Olympic games. If there’s one position Alex Ferguson needs strengthening in, not just add depth, it’s in the middle of the pitch, with whatever combo of Paul Scholes, Michael Carrick, Tom Cleverley and Anderson just doesn’t seem to be enough. Herrera might not be Premier League ready right away, but the price Untied are willing to pay for him, just under $20 million, suggests they have plenty of faith in him – now and for the future.
Herrera, who plays CF Pachuca in the Mexican Liga MX, only made his top level debut one year ago, eventually winning the golden ball for the rookie of the 2011 Apertura tournament. If he is signed, he’ll be the second Mexican player in the squad along with Chicharito, although the future of Javier Hernandez with Manchester United isn’t clear at the moment due to the influx in strikers with the club.
United have been quite busy this summer and especially in recent weeks – Adding to the early purchase of Shinji Kagawa from Dortmund, United added Robin van Persie in one of the biggest transfers of the summer, signing the Arsenal star less than a week ago. Yesterday Ferguson got the left back he wanted so dearly as a back up and maybe replacement for Patrice Evra, Alexander Büttner of Vitesse.