Ander Herrera reveals how Jose Mourinho plans to stop Eden Hazard in FA Cup final

Manchester United hope to stop Chelsea’s best players in the FA Cup final if they want to win the trophy and Eden Hazard has been identified as the main threat according to Ander Herrera.

Hazard has been Chelsea’s and arguably the Premier League’s best player since he arrived at the club in 2012. He had led Chelsea to two Premier League titles where he showed his explosiveness to find them crucial wins across both seasons.

One of his most of his famous battles with top players in top matches was at Old Trafford against Man United in the Premier League last season. Jose Mourinho deployed Ander Herrera to man-mark hazard and restrict his every move, to great effect.

The Spain international has not featured as prominently this season, but has been efficient when called upon by his manager. The 28-year old reveals how Man United stopped him in their 2-0 win over Chelsea last season and how they intend to repeat the trick next weekend to win their only possible silverware this season.

“If we want to stop him we need it from all of us, like we did at Old Trafford. I know I was the protaganist after the game because of the man-marking. But if Jesse (Lingard) and Marcus (Rashford), and (Marouane) Fellaini and Paul (Pogba), who were in front of me, hadn’t done the job they did, Hazard would have received the ball.

They were playing with three defenders and Jesse and Marcus did not let those defenders come with the ball easy and then play to Hazard or to Willian. I know I was on the front page the next day, but credit for Marcus, Jesse, Paul and for Fellaini, they were in front of me stopping that easy ball to Hazard.”

Ander Herrera, Manchester Evening News

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