Juan Mata has admitted that he 'misses' Ander Herrera and has compared the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder to Manchester United teammate Bruno Fernandes.
Herrera left United last summer after five years at the club to join French giants PSG on a free contract.
The Spanish midfielder was named the Red Devils' Player of the Season in 2016-17 and won three major honours during his time at Old Trafford.
Mata says that Herrera's exit left a void at United, but January signing Fernandes is helping to change that.
"I do miss him on the pitch but also in the dressing room and outside," he said during a Q&A session on United's official website. "We were living in the same area.
"We were seeing each other after training for lunch, dinner, to watch football together, so of course I miss him.
"He's a very good friend; I'm still in touch with him very often. He's very happy in Paris.
"When you understand football in the same way, I think it's enjoyable to play with someone like him or with someone like Bruno now. You always miss them when you don't play with people like this."
Fernandes has won back-to-back Player of the Month awards since arriving at United from Sporting Lisbon in January.
Daniel Lewis
