Ander Herrera urges Manchester United to make statement with Tottenham win

Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera has urged the Red Devils to step up their game against Tottenham Hotspur who they host at Old Trafford this weekend. Spurs have been in brilliant form this season and sit level on points with Jose Mourinho's men following their 4-1 thrashing of Liverpool last gameweek.

The comments come after their 2-1 humbling at the hands of newly promoted Huddersfield, ending their unbeaten streak from the start of the new season. Errors from Juan Mata and Victor Lindelof led to the Terriers establishing a 2-0 lead in the first half at the John Smith's Stadium, with Marcus Rashford scoring a late consolation goal for the visitors.

The defeat was United's first in the Premier League this season, with manager Jose Mourinho saying in the post-match interview that the attitude of his players at Huddersfield was worse than in a friendly match. Herrera insists that United have to bounce back from the debacle last week and there is no better way to do so than against their rivals.

"Tottenham are a direct rival every season. In the last two or three years they have improved a lot and they are contenders for everything; the Champions League, the Premier League and for both cups," Herrera said, as quoted by the Express. "We saw the game they played with Real Madrid last week and they were not worse than them, so that means they are ready for anything. It will be a big statement if we beat them.

"Spurs are very organised, they play really good football and they have players who can score — Harry Kane, Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli, Son Heung-min. Even their full-backs are very offensive.

"It's going to be very, very difficult but we play at home in front of our fans and we have to try to win. We want to move forward because this club is all about fighting for everything and we are still in four competitions."

United are without a host of key players for the game, with Paul Pogba, Marouane Fellaini and Michael Carrick all out for the fixture. Meanwhile, Zlatan Ibrahimovic is still on the road to recovery with December a likely return date for the veteran Swede.

United also remain without the option of Marcos Rojo at the back, although the Argentina international is closing in on a return from a cruciate knee ligament injury and could be available in time for his side's clash with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on 5 November.