Louis Van Gaal's Options Leave Doubt over Ander Herrera's Spot in Man United XI

At the height of Manchester United's crisis last season, in between humiliating home defeats to Liverpool and Manchester City, Gary Neville tried to explain why the road back might be rocky.

Analysing his old club's demise on Sky, Neville suggested it wasn't as easy as going out and buying a load of new players. You can't fix a badly made soup, he said, by simply adding more ingredients.

United's £155 million summer spend has given Louis van Gaal plenty of options. There aren't many managers in the world who wouldn't want Angel Di Maria, Radamel Falcao, Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney and Juan Mata in their squads.

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His job now is to mould them into a team, to get a group of outstanding individual players functioning together. It's not easy. Just ask Florentino Perez.

So far this season, Van Gaal has given the impression of a manager who's just trying to get by, changing his system and tinkering with his teams to compensate for injuries and suspensions.

He's experimented with three at the back and then four, used a midfield three then a diamond. When James Wilson came off the bench against Everton, he become the 30th player used by United in the Premier League this season, more than anyone else.

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Van Gaal has yet to settle on a system or a best XI. When he does, some very good players are going to be disappointed. 

Ander Herrera has settled in at Old Trafford quickly. In four games for his new club, he's scored twice. More importantly, he's shown a desire to pass and tackle that United's midfield has missed thanks to years of underinvestment.

But like so many of Van Gaal's players, he's still trying to find out where he fits in. It hasn't helped that injuries to his ankle and then his rib have placed him in and out of the team.

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It's prevented the 25-year-old from cementing a place ahead of Michael Carrick's return from ankle surgery. From the outside, it looks like Herrera, Carrick and Daley Blind, when they're all fit, will fight it out for two places at most.

Van Gaal was quick to express his appreciation for Carrick at his first press conference. He is well aware of Blind's qualities as well after working with him during his time in charge of the Netherlands.

Herrera can play further forward, but even there he's got Mata, Di Maria, Rooney and Adnan Januzaj for competition.

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It wouldn't usually be a problem, but with only the Premier League and FA Cup to worry about this season, there will be a limited number of games. Not everyone can start every week.

Herrera, with his ability on the ball, touch and technique, is a valuable ingredient. But it's still not clear how central he is to Van Gaal, especially when Carrick makes his long-awaited return. It won't help the Spaniard's cause if he keeps picking up niggling injuries.

Herrera is not alone, and it's no reflection of his talent. Just proof of how many good players Van Gaal has at his disposal after a summer spent at the shops.