Jamie Carragher: 'Ander Herrera not a Louis van Gaal signing'

Jamie Carragher believes that Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera was a "club signing", rather than a target of boss Louis van Gaal.

The Spaniard arrived at Old Trafford from Athletic Bilbao for a reported £29.1m last June. At that point, Van Gaal had yet to take full charge of the club due to his commitments with Holland at the World Cup.

Since then, Herrera has been used sparingly by Van Gaal, culminating in him being substituted after just 45 minutes of United's 2-1 FA Cup defeat at the hands of Arsenal last night.

Reacting to the 25-year-old's early withdrawal, former Liverpool defender Carragher felt that it showed that he had never been a firm part of the United manager's plans.

"Feel for Herrera - not set the world a light but definitely a club signing rather than a Van Gaal one," the ex-England international tweeted.

Herrera has made 21 appearances in all competitions this season, from which he has scored five goals.