Ander Herrera wishes he could play every game for Manchester United but manager Louis van Gaal's "philosophy" will ultimately restrict his match time
Herrera, who joined United from Athletic Bilbao for £28.8 million last summer, has made just 14 Premier League appearances but told The Telegraph how injuries and Van Gaal's tactics affect his hopes of a starting role.
United fell to defeat at Swansea last weekend despite Herrera opening the scoring and the midfielder completed 90 minutes for just the third time this season.
"I want to play as much as possible in Manchester United but I will not arrive here and say 'I have to play,'" Herrera told the newspaper. "I want to win trophies with United.
"I want to be a very important player here but maybe only three or four players in the world can do it in five months. The rest of us have to work, improve and learn not only from team-mates but from everyone. I study everything.
"I wish I can always play 90 minutes but sometimes I have to help for only one minute - like against QPR. I am conscious of where I am. I am in Manchester United, the club with the biggest history in England. I have to wait for my moment. But when my moment comes, take advantage of it and enjoy it."
While Herrera has struggled for minutes under Van Gaal, he appreciates the manager's openness in terms of the selection process and sees his coach's plans starting to take shape - despite the Liberty Stadium defeat.
He continued: "The manager uses this word 'philosophy.' His philosophy is nobody is more important than anybody else. There is no 'pecking order.' Of course we have stars but between us we are 25 important players. He is going to play who is better in that moment.
"His philosophy is keep the ball, have more possession than the opponent and the space is coming. When you play side to side three or four times, the space is coming. We have to improve, of course, because we want to be as high up the league as possible.
"Against Swansea we had possession, we keep the ball side to side, we didn't give so many chances away and we were close to the box but the manager told us we have to 'finish the job.' We crossed so many times, Luke [Shaw], Antonio [Valencia], Paddy [McNair], Ashley Young.
"He doesn't like us to be 'individualista,' an individual just thinking of themselves. He wants us to think as a group, a compact team, helping each other out. We are all in it together.
"His character is this: he's fair. He's very sincere. He always tells you things face to face - criticism and praise. When he feels something, he cannot keep it inside. He has to tell you. That's important. You know what he's thinking."
When asked whether he prefers a No.10 role or a deep-lying position, Herrera responded: "I am going to tell you about this topic but I must say that I just want to play. Of course, sometimes you prefer one position than another but now I am not in the best moment to decide my best position! I am going to play when and where the manager wants.
"I played No.10 in Athletic last season but I can play also right side, left side. With Marcelo Bielsa, we played with almost two [central midfielders] and I played more free than Ander Iturraspe. But I can play No.10, No.8. With Ernesto Valverde last season, I played two or three games right side. I want to help always."
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