Granada CF has complete the loan of Yangel Herrera from Manchester City. The Venezuelan midfielder will play for the Spanish side for one season, with a buy option at the end of the campaign.
Herrera will be under the guidance of coach Diego Martínez and is already training with his new teammates, in preparation for the upcoming preseason friendlies.
The long journey to success?
The 21-year-old is one of the most promising footballers of the Venezuelan national squad, counting 17 caps with the senior team and playing a relevant role in the recent Copa América 2019 for La Vinotinto. However, Herrera could not make an impact with City under the direction of Josep Guardiola last season and was loaned to SD Huesca in the winter transfer window, where he played in a total of 17 matches.
The youngster arrived at the Citizens in January of 2017 but played his first two seasons with City’s MLS franchise team, New York City, featuring in 33 games during that spell.
An exciting opportunity
Herrera is the fifth signing of Granada for the upcoming season and after being presented to the media he said the loaning operation “was not easy”, according to statements from the Club’s official website. “I have to take one step at a time from the first match”, he added.
Herrera stressed LaLiga’s difficulty: “The first year in the top flight is very hard, unfortunately, I come from a relegated team (Huesca) but I’m looking forward to improve, to fight for a spot and be a better footballer.”
The midfielder knows the importance of gaining experience in the Spanish top-flight: “I’m very pleased to be here”, he said. “Granada presented me an important project and the appreciation I felt and the efforts to sign me were key for my arrival”.
Fran Sánchez, Granada’s sporting manager, affirmed Herrera is “a footballer with the profile we were looking for since the opening of the summer transfer window. He’s a versatile midfielder who can play in the 6 or 8 positions, he’s an all-round player”.