Inside Athletic

Ever since Ander Herrera left for Manchester United in the summer fo 2014 Athletic have been trying to bring him back to San Mamés. Having made 128 appearances for the Zurigorri, Herrera was a key player during his stint at the club but elected to sign with PSG over the summer when his contract with United expired. The move hasn’t gone well for Herrera who has made just 8 league appearances for the French side and has been regularly been linked with a return to Athletic.

“I was immensely happy in Bilbao, but I’m from Zaragoza which is something that I’ve never hidden,” Herrera said on Thursday during a YouTube interview when asked about a possible return to San Mamés. “My hope is to enjoy my time in Paris, to win titles with PSG, and one day be able to return home to Zaragoza.”

Herrera essentially shut the door on a potential return to Athletic, though he still has a lot of fondness for the Basque giants. At this point the the only move he’s interested in making next is going back to Real Zaragoza where he was developed and got his start as a professional footballer.

“I’ve always said that I would like my club to be like Athletic. I’m extremely luck to have been able to play for Athletic and enjoy the club’s philosophy, but my hope is to return to Zaragoza. It’s the club that I have supported since I was little, of which I am still a Socio and will continue to support for the rest of my life. That doesn’t mean that I whenever I wore the shirt of Athletic, Manchester, or PSG that I didn’t try to represent and defend the club as if I were the biggest fan, but my team is Zaragoza.”

Despite his age Herrera could still offer a lot to the current Athletic squad. However, the club is clearly wanting to move forward with younger talents such as Oihan Sancet and Unai Vencedor while more veteran players like Mikel San José and Beñat look set for summer exits. Although things can always change in football, Ander Herrera seems to have his mind made up that he won’t be returning to San Mamés.