Manchester United: Ander Herrera backs Victor Valdes to find new club and rediscover form

Manchester United star Ander Herrera has backed his "friend" Victor Valdes to find a new club during the January transfer window to prove he can rediscover the form that led him to be "the best goalkeeper in the world" before his injury. Herrera also praised David de Gea for how he overcame his summer transfer saga with Real Madrid by regaining his best form at Old Trafford.

Valdes is under contract at United until the end of the season but has been exiled by manager Louis van Gaal since the summer after the 33-year-old allegedly refused to play for the Red Devils' Under-21 side. His agent recently claimed the player was looking to put an end to his spell at Old Trafford by moving to another Premier League side during the January transfer window.

Asked about the situation during an interview with Catalunya Radio, Herrera said: "I think he still has room to be one of the best goalkeepers in the world again. I think that just before his injury he was the best in the world. And he is working hard to recover that form.

"His relationship with the manager is between them and I'm not anyone to discuss that. I can talk about him as his teammate and friend and I'm sure he is will be again what it was. Surely in the January market he will find a team to prove again what he is capable of as he is training for it.

"People who work for their target always achieve them and specially when they have Valdes's ability. I want him to return to be who he was because when you see he working every day, you can see that he still much to give. I wish him the best soon, to find a team and prove again how good he is."

De Gea's future at Old Trafford was also under scrutiny during the summer before his move to Real Madrid collapsed on deadline day. Herrera is happy to still have him at United and he paid tribute to the club's fans for how they dealt with the situation.

"I think he is a genius. In terms of talent I have not seen anything like him before. It is fortunate to have him with us. It is not easy to be a month without playing as he was and the return to play like he always do since the very first game," he said. "Fans also played a big part in that because they never turned his back to him. But very few in the world has his talent. It is fortunate to have him around and hopefully he will be here for a long time."