Solskjaer in the dark over Herrera future as PSG links intensify

Tom Maston

Solskjaer in the dark over Herrera future as PSG links intensify image

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer claims he does not know whether Ander Herrera will sign a new contract and remain at Old Trafford past the end of the season.

The former Athletic Club midfielder's current deal is up in June, and reports of him agreeing to join Paris Saint-German have intensified in recent days.

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Solskjaer, though, believes he can still count on the 29-year-old for the remainder of the campaign despite being unaware of whether he will remain with the club past that point.

"He's been working really hard to get fit from his injury he sustained against Liverpool, and then he came back and got a different one here in training," Solskjaer told a press conference.

"He's been putting a lot of work in and that's come at a time that, as you say, there are contract talks, but that's ongoing. I can't really comment too much on how far they are down the line.

"You have to ask him. I don't know how they've been the last few talks, but we've let him focus on his fitness as well. He loves to play and is not very happy when he can't help his team-mates.

"He is always giving his all. It doesn't matter if it's five weeks or five years on his contract."

Herrera has made 26 appearances for Man Utd this season, scoring three goals, but has made just two appearances for the first team since the end of February.

Some have questioned whether the lack of clarity over his future has led to Solskjaer leaving him out of recent defeats to Wolves and Barcelona.

But the former Molde boss insists that the Spain international is struggling with an injury and could yet return before the end of the month.

"Maybe the future might have been worrying him and that's part of the reason he's injured, who knows," he said when asked if he was concerned Herrera may be losing focus in what could be his final weeks as a Man Utd player.

Ander Herrera Manchester United 2018-19

"He doesn't know. Hopefully, he can be available for Chelsea or [Manchester] City but I'm not sure. He has got another muscle injury."

Solskjaer's side head into Saturday's clash with West Ham having lost four of their previous five matches in all competitions - a run that saw them knocked out of the FA Cup and slip to sixth in the Premier League table.

A win over the Irons, then, is vital in their bid to finish inside the Premier League's top four and help gain some momentum ahead of the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Barcelona.

The 20-time English champions travel to Camp Nou on Tuesday trailing 1-0 from the first leg following an own goal from Luke Shaw, and for the second successive round will require an against-all-odds comeback to progress.

Tom Maston