Ander Herrera has raved about what it was like to work under Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa, from their time together at Athletic Bilbao.
The Spanish international midfielder, who left Manchester United on a free transfer for Paris Saint-Germain this summer, was speaking in the new Amazon documentary series Take Us Home: Leeds United.
He joined Athletic six days before Bielsa did in the summer of 2011, and would go on to become a key player under the Argentinian as the club reached the Copa Del Rey and Europa League finals in their first season at the club.
“I think he’s great. I think he’s honestly one of the best in the world," said Herrera.
“He had a great impact on me, and I hope he promotes, honestly.”
Athletic Club would go on to lose both finals, against Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, but left quite the impression from the way they played the game, most memorably as they knocked Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United out of the Europa League.
Herrera's game developed immensely under Bielsa, and he was noticed by Europe's biggest clubs for his energy, aggression and versatility in midfield. Three years later he'd sign for Manchester United as Louis Van Gaal took the reigns at Old Trafford.
Leeds United fans and players alike won't be surprised to hear about his descriptions of Bielsa's honesty and intensity on the training ground.
“Probably the most honest guy that I’ve ever met in football," Herrera added.
“He was very very obsessed with no cheating, never cheating. Try to be honest every time you are on the pitch.
“He is very demanding. The way he plays demands a lot from you, in terms of effort, in terms of cardio capacity. I’ve seen some of the players going off the pitch vomiting, absolutely exhausted.
“But after, when you’re playing, you fly. You absolutely fly.”
All six episodes of the series have been released and are available to stream.
This series is exclusive to Amazon Prime customers, just like the Manchester City documentary All or Nothing.
Sign up and you'll be able to watch it this Friday (August 16), as well as receiving all the other perks of an Amazon Prime membership.
Amazon Prime offers a free trial so you can sign up and watch the series without an up-front cost. You just need to cancel the trial before the month is up.
