Manchester United star Ander Herrera has admitted that his side are taking inspiration from Chelsea in regards to their pursuit of Champions League glory.
The Red Devils are out of the race for the Premier League title but remain in the hunt for the top four.
However, their only hope of silverware is the Champions League, though a difficult tie against Barcelona awaits in the last eight.
But Herrera insists that United are looking to Chelsea’s Champions League success back in 2012 under Roberto Di Matteo as an example of how an underperforming league side can prevail in Europe.
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The Blues sacked manager Andre Villas Boas that season, while the Manchester side parted ways with Jose Mourinho this term.
Chelsea could only finish sixth in the Premier League that year but managed to lift the Champions League after beating Bayern Munich on penalties in an enthralling final seven years ago.
“In the league we are fighting for the third place and they eliminated us in the quarter-finals of the Cup,” Herrera told El Periodico de Aragón.
“The Champions League we are there, without going crazy, but we remember that Di Matteo’s Chelsea, who were not the favourites and were champions after many problems that year.”
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Chelsea beat Barcelona 3-2 on aggregate in the Champions League semi-finals on route to their unlikely final win, with United fans hoping for a similar outcome when they face the Spanish giants next month.
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