Herrera return could be on the table: “He has FC Porto in his DNA” | OneFootball

Héctor Herrera has once again been linked with a possible return to FC Porto, after he himself admitted to the national press that it would be a “dream” to end his career at the Estádio do Dragão.

Speaking to Desporto ao Minuto, former goalkeeper André Caio – who now plays in a more ‘forward’ role in another sport, futsal – analysed the possibility of the Mexican midfielder returning to the blue-and-white club, starting by downplaying the player’s age and highlighting the identity he has with FC Porto.

“It would be a good move, because nowadays, being 30 or 35 years old doesn’t matter as much as it used to. Because players now prepare themselves much better and at a much higher level. He’s a player who knows the club very well, he was captain, he knows Villas-Boas well. I think he has everything needed for it to be a good return,” he began by saying.

After the departures of more experienced names from the squad that won the national title for FC Porto this season, such as Thiago Silva or Luuk De Jong, Héctor Herrera could be a solution to add experience and leadership to the Porto dressing room.

“I think those are two points that become very strong at this level. And right now at FC Porto, because it’s a very young team, people from the club are especially needed too, and Herrera is one of those people. And I think these two aspects of Herrera make perfect sense, and they could help FC Porto a lot,” he assured.

“Herrera is one of the faces of FC Porto’s identity. This year they managed to turn FC Porto back into that identity again, which had been lost for a few years. And Herrera is a face of that FC Porto personality,” he added.

Even if age is not seen as an obstacle, there is still always some doubt among fans as to whether Herrera can still add quality to the midfield rotation, in a scenario where he would end up being almost a successor to Seko Fofana.

“Quality doesn’t disappear with age and sometimes it even develops further because of experience; they can see things happening on the pitch more quickly than a younger player can. And it’s what I said right at the start: age right now, for those players who take good care of themselves, doesn’t make that much difference. And I think yes, FC Porto’s midfield would be much better with Herrera,” he stressed.

As for predictions for next season, André Caio admits that FC Porto start in a position of advantage to retain the national title, attributing a large part of that strength to the work of the club’s coach and president.

“I think the model they implemented this year, which brought success, and the continuity of the identity that both Villas-Boas and Farioli want, means that FC Porto start slightly ahead when it comes to being favourites,” he said.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.