MANCHESTER UNITED have made an official inquiry about Hector Herrera, the Pachuca midfielder who won the London 2012 Olympic title with Mexico and who is also interesting Brendan Rodgers, the Liverpool manager.
Andres Fassi, the club’s sporting director, said: “There is official interest but there’s nothing else to add at this time. We have a document. We know he’s going to emigrate to England. Manchester United and Liverpool have talked to us. We want him to continue with Pachuca. But when he decides to leave, the club will give him the opportunity to do so.”
Herrera (22), nicknamed “Zorro”, currently has an ankle injury he suffered during Mexico’s surprise 2-1 win over Brazil in the Olympic final at Wembley earlier this month.
Herrera told Raza Deportiva: “The truth is that so far I know nothing about what is happening, I am not aware. From what I’ve heard there has been some news, but I have had no approach from the Pachuca club president or the people from Manchester.
“If given the opportunity to emigrate to European football, of course I’d go but I have wait to see what the club officials say. I did not expect it so soon, I did not expect these big clubs to be tracking me after such a short time, but this is the result of the sacrifices I have made.
“There wasn’t any approach or any talks and I haven’t had the pleasure of getting to know Chicharito [Javier Hernandez, the United forward].”
Meanwhile, Andre Villas-Boas is busy as Spurs prepare to reinforce their reputation for last-minute wheeling and dealing before the transfer window closes.
Tottenham play West Bromwich Albion at White Hart Lane tomorrow in what will be Villas-Boas’ home debut. But at the moment everyone, not least the club’s supporters, are obsessed with his moves to complete his squad before the end of the month and the related gossip.
No club plays the market like Tottenham, as Villas-Boas is now all too aware. Hewent to Newcastle, where Spurs lost 2-1, with one established striker and it felt as though a manager who is so thorough with his preparations had been compromised. But Villas-Boas remains firmly on message.
Whenever he is asked, as at yesterday’s press conference, he insists that the increasingly frantic activity in the background has not been a distraction.
The Tottenham manager said he wanted the attacking midfielder Willian from Shakhtar Donetsk. He no longer wanted the striker Leandro Damiao from Internacional and, consequently, he was happy to enter September with Emmanuel Adebayor, Jermain Defoe and Harry Kane as his three strikers. Rafael van der Vaart was not for sale, despite the strong suggestion in Holland that he was primed to return to Hamburg.
Luka Modric continues to train away from the first-team group and will do so until his proposed move to Real Madrid is resolved; Michael Dawson has not reached agreement on a personal level with Queens Park Rangers; Tom Huddlestone will only be allowed to join Stoke City on loan as Villas-Boas could yet seek to play him when he regains full match fitness.
Younes Kaboul has seen a specialist about a knee injury and he will not play against West Brom, although Villas-Boas said that the problem was not serious, while Giovani dos Santos pulled a muscle in training which, so late in the window, is a cruel cut for the chairman Daniel Levy.
Adebayor, who finally re-signed on Tuesday, is unlikely to start against West Brom.
Tottenham have had a representative in Porto Alegre this week to investigate the closure of a deal for Damiao and Villas-Boas confirmed that the Brazil number nine was “a fantastic player that I know of”. He added that Damiao was “not our prospect at the moment”. Never say never.
Of Van der Vaart the manager added: “He’s a player who at the moment is not for sale.”
“In football you never know, anything can happen, but he’s a player we are counting on.”
Willian also plays as a number 10 or off the flank.
Defoe’s future has been uncertain, in light of Tottenham’s summer-long interest in Damiao.
On Dawson, Villas-Boas said that he would be happy if he stayed while Modric continues to cast a shadow. Madrid are prepared to offer Esteban Granero in part-exchange but he is reluctant to leave and the impasse persists. The clarity on September 1st will be a thing of beauty.
Guardian Service
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