David de Gea has sent a message of support to Ander Herrera after the former Manchester United star opened up on his "painful" Old Trafford exit.
Herrera, 33, spent five years at the club after joining the Premier League giants from Athletic Bilbao in 2014. The Spanish midfielder clocked up 189 appearances and won the Carabao Cup, the FA Cup and the Europa League before he left the club as a free agent back in the summer of 2019.
Paris Saint-Germain swooped quickly to snap up the former United favourite once he became available - and speaking this week, Herrera opened up on the circumstances behind his exit, where he revealed he was "expecting" to receive a better offer to stay at the club after winning plenty of plaudits for his consistency.
In an emotional interview with the UTD Podcast, Herrera said: "To leave, it was difficult because six months before, five months before, I was expecting that offer for me to stay."
"I expected a little bit more from the club at that time. I got the Player of the Year award from the fans and the club didn't call me that summer to sign a new contract, and they did with other players. That was painful for me, honestly. I think I deserved it and they didn't do it. After, the conditions changed because I was not happy with that little moment with the club."
Herrera broke down shortly after those comments after reminiscing about his final day at the club, where he was joined on the pitch by his daughter as he waved goodbye to the Manchester United fans. And after seeing the clip, De Gea sent a touching message to his former teammate, tweeting: "Once a Red, always a Red," with by a red heart emoji.
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Herrera has chalk up 96 appearances during his trophy-laden stint in the French capital with PSG but has struggled to nail down a regular starting spot in the Ligue 1 champions' star-studded squad.
Athletic Bilbao swooped to bring Herrera back to Spain in the summer. The midfield maestro, who spent three years at Bilbao before he was snapped up by Manchester United, rejoined the LaLiga outfit on a season-long loan deal to play regular football.
Bilbao do have an option to purchase Herrera at the end of the temporary deal, however, a combination of injuries and suspension have restricted the playmaker to just six appearances in all competitions this term.
Herrera is contracted to PSG until the summer of 2024 after penning a lucrative five-year deal after leaving Manchester United.
