Herrera: "I've talked about this with Kylian, PSG isn't a club that sells its stars, quite the opposite, it buys them. The club is strong enough economically to keep both of them"
Saturday 6 June 2020 17:45, UK
Ander Herrera says Paris Saint-Germain will keep hold of both Kylian Mbappe and Neymar this summer.
Mbappe and Neymar are the Ligue 1 champions' two most-prized assets and they have long been rumoured with big-money moves to Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively.
However, former Manchester United midfielder Herrera says the pair are very happy in Paris and sees no reason why they would be allowed to leave in the near future.
"I don't know what they earn or what the club brings in - it is a company after all - but I know both are key to the project and from what I can see, they are happy and really involved at PSG," he told Spanish daily AS.
"It's true that there's lots of news about them in the media and on social media, but we don't hype it up much.
"You need to think about a really key thing, and I've talked about this with Kylian. PSG isn't a club that sells its stars, quite the opposite, it buys them. The club is strong enough economically to keep both of them.
"They're the best in the world and I've got four more years on my contract and I want to enjoy them with those two alongside me at PSG."
Herrera swapped Old Trafford for the Parc des Princes last summer but injuries restricted him to only eight appearances in Ligue 1.
But due to the coronavirus pandemic, the French Football Federation decided to curtail the season and crown PSG as champions - a decision which left Herrera puzzled.
"We were very surprised. I remember in the team chat a lot of us were in shock, in fact we didn't believe it," he said.
"I think the decision was taken too soon because things are showing that the Bundesliga was right and hopefully it'll be the same in the Spanish league and the rest. We won the league, yes, but winning it like that is "decaffeinated".
"We also don't know if the two French cups will be played in August and the Champions League still doesn't have a date to come back... There's a lot still up in the air."
Herrera also reflected on his time at Manchester United, and in particular what it was like to play under Jose Mourinho.
The 30-year-old admitted the current Tottenham boss can be hard on players who give inconsistent effort but insists he is fair with those who do as he requires.
"I only have words of thanks to [Mourinho]. The first season was fantastic, with three titles and I was chosen by the fans as the player of the season," Herrera said.
"He has character, yes, but if you go head-to-head with him, you work, you don't hide and you don't argue then you have no problem.
"I understand him because I think the same. You have to be tough and mature. He is only fierce with the ones who are not honest."
Mourinho famously developed a strained relationship with United's record signing Paul Pogba, stripping him of the vice-captaincy, prior to being sacked in December, 2018.
Herrera played alongside Pogba for three seasons and he admits the gifted Frenchman could still stand to add greater consistency to his game.
"Paul is a footballer who has everything, overflowing. He recovers many balls, he's great in the air, he is aggressive, he defends, he attacks, he has goals in him," Herrera said.
"But at Manchester, he has had ups and downs. He has played matches in which he made a huge difference but others not, and a player of that price is required to always be very good.
"If he can play regularly, it is normal for Madrid or any other big club in Europe to want to sign him."
