Héctor Herrera showed Diego Simeone why he needs to be a starter in Atlético Madrid

Although Héctor Herrera has been benched most of the season in Atlético Madrid after the arrival of Rodrigo de Paul, on the past week he had back-to-back games on the starting XI of Diego “Cholo” Simeone, including the first leg of the round of 16 of UEFA Champions League.

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One of the things Herrera has been more criticized for is his lack of consistency every time he plays with Mexico National Team, as he looks lost on the midfield and doesn't follow the plays whenever El Tri loses the ball, but against Manchester United, those were exactly the things he did perfectly.

Not only did he fight every ball that was on dispute, but he also distributed the ball and was involved in the creation for most of the game. He also had the hard job of covering Cristiano Ronaldo, something he managed to do during the 90 minutes, as CR7 didn't have a clear chance of scoring.

After Atlético Madrid lost four out of the previous six games in which Herrera wasn't a starter, once that the Mexican midfielder was given the starting role, Los Colchoneros have regained the strength with which they usually fight every match, and the results have also arrived, as they beat Osasuna 3-0, and managed to save a draw in Wanda Metropolitano on Wednesday night.

Will he renew with Atlético Madrid?

Herrera will finish his contract with Atlético Madrid at the end of the season, and even if he has mentioned before that he hasn't started conversations with Atleti to renew with Los Colchoneros, his performances against Manchester United and Osasuna last weekend, are worthy of a contract extension.

Herrera joined Atlético Madrid back in 2019 as a free agent, after his 6-year stint with Primeira Liga side Porto FC was over. He has said before that he'd like to prolong his stay in Madrid but if he becomes a free agent, he could join another La Liga team, as Valencia has been linked to the 33-year-old midfielder in the past winter transfer window, although his $4 million per year salary is an obstacle for the Ches.

If he decides to leave Atlético Madrid and La Liga, he's gathered interest from MLS, as Houston Dynamo are said to be after him, and reports suggest that they even already contacted Herrera to see the possibility of his arrival over the summer.

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