Ander Herrera says he joined Manchester United to be part of Louis van Gaal's exciting long-term plan

Ander Herrera says he joined Manchester United in summer 2014 because he wanted to be part of Louis van Gaal's "exciting long-term plan".

Having been targeted by former United manager David Moyes in summer 2013, the Spanish midfielder eventually moved to Old Trafford after van Gaal agreed to meet his €36m (£26m, $39m) release clause with Athletic Bilbao.

And even though the Spaniard had a slow start to the life in the Premier League he became a crucial part of the team during the second part of the campaign, receiving the club's player of the month award in February and being recognised by legend Paul Scholes as the best signing of the season.

The former Athletic midfielder says he is happy with his decision to move to Old Trafford while admitting that there is still much work to do ahead of next season after a complicated transition year under van Gaal.

"I came to Manchester United because they're a fantastic club who actually have an exciting long-term plan, and I want to be a part of that. I signed a contract for a number of seasons and I've just started. My desire is to be an important player for the club. I'm not thinking about anything other than succeeding at United," Herrera said during an interview with Elite Sport.

"Joining United was a big step in my career and I knew there would be many challenges ahead, something which motivates me both as a player and a person. It has been a complicated season for the club, like a transition, because we start with a new manager and lots of new players, We've still got lots of work ahead of us at a group level, but I think we've shown examples that we can be competitive."

Meanwhile Herrera has also expressed his delight about his new life at Manchester where his transition has been eased by the number of Spanish speakers in the squad, including his close friend Juan Mata.

"I'm very happy in Manchester. It's a great city and a really impressive club. People should come to visit the city one day. Obviously I miss my friends and family sometimes so when I return to Spain, I spend as much time as I can with them."