Herrera backs United to defend ´most amazing cup in the world´

Ander Herrera is cofident that Manchester United boast the strength in depth to defend the FA Cup – a competition he has described as “the most amazing” in the world.

Jose Mourinho’s side travel to Blackburn Rovers on Sunday for their fifth-round tie, looking to secure a fifth win from their last six matches in all competitions in order to keep the defence of their trophy alive.

The match falls in a tough spell in which United must play four times in 10 days, with their two-legged Europa League tie with Saint-Etienne sandwiching the Blackburn game before next Sunday’s EFL Cup final against Southampton at Wembley.

The fixture pile-up means Mourinho is likely to make changes to his team, although Herrera is expected to play, having picked up a yellow card in Thursday’s 3-0 win over Saint-Etienne that rules him out of the second leg in France.

Spain international Herrera insists that any rotation in the starting line-up will not be a sign that United do not value the FA Cup as much as other commitments.

“It’s a massive competition,” he told MUTV. “When some teams rotate players, that doesn’t mean they don’t give importance to the FA Cup.

“It’s the oldest competition in England and I think it’s the most amazing cup in the world because of the organisation. For me, the organisation in England is fantastic. The last four play the semi-final one game and then the final at Wembley too and it’s fantastic for the fans.

“Every club wants to win the FA Cup, teams not in the top six even more as they can get in the Europa League [if they win it]. So it’s a fantastic competition to play in. We want to keep playing in it and win away against Blackburn.

“We have very good memories from last season and I’m very optimistic because we have a very good squad.”