Ander Herrera reveals what he was told by Jose Mourinho before the start of the season

Calls from supporters for Ander Herrera to be given the Manchester United captaincy are growing louder and louder.

The Spaniard played a key role in the 2-0 victory over table-topping Chelsea on Sunday, setting up Marcus Rashford's opener before scoring the second of the game. When United were without the ball, he was assigned to man-mark Eden Hazard - completely nullifying the threat from the Belgian for the entire match. Now nearing the end of his third season at Old Trafford, Herrera has been a regular for the team under Jose Mourinho after struggling to convince Louis van Gaal that he was worthy of a regular starting berth. In quotes featured in the match programme for the Chelsea game, Herrera praised Mourinho, revealing how the manager had told him before the season had started that he would be an important part of his first United side - something which filled him with confidence. He says:

"I am very thankful to him. This season has been the most regular one for me at the club and that is with Mourinho on the bench. "I am very happy. He gave me, from the first day, a lot of confidence and he told me I was going to be an important player for him."

Adding to this, Herrera explains that he is not taking any of this for granted. "I will always be thankful but football changes. We have great players and Manchester United has the capacity to sign big players, so I cannot sleep. "I have to keep working, performing and giving what the manager wants me to give."