Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera has revealed he told teammate Marcos Rojo that he was one of the top 5 central defenders in the world, before suffering a serious knee injury that kept him on the sidelines for 7 months.

Rojo signed for United from Sporting Lisbon back in 2014, but failed to really nail down a starting place in Louis van Gaal’s side. His future was thrown into huge doubt when Jose Mourinho became manager, but the Argentine started to produce his best football in a United shirt – making him one of Jose’s first choice defenders.

But the knee injury put all that hard work on the back burner, as the 27-year-old was forced to miss much of the back end of last season as well as the start of this campaign.

However, after making his return to action against Watford, Herrera has revealed he is ‘very happy’ – saying he believes the Argentine is one of the best in the world when he is fully fit.

Speaking to Premier League productions, he said: “Last season, when he got injured, I told him that he was in the top five central defenders in the world because his play was outstanding and he was in amazing form.

“I felt so sorry for him because he got injured in what was the best moment of his career.

“He has been focused on being back and being as fit as possible, so I’m very, very happy for him.

“Now, he has to be careful because when you have a knee injury, you have to be careful with the rest of your body, but he’s doing amazing.”