The past week of training has been unusual. During the period when the session was open to the press, Ander Herrera worked alongside the rest of his Real Zaragoza teammates. What happened afterward raised more doubts, as the midfielder was not even included among the 20 players available to play.
Real Zaragoza coach Ibai Gómez was asked about the situation after the match against the Murcia side. “Ander hasn’t missed a single day since we started. It’s a spectacle to watch him train. He has a back strain. Let’s see if we can have him in Ibiza, but we’ll see how he responds this week. It’s a short week, and we’ll see how he is,” the coach said.
Joaquín Delgado during Real Zaragoza’s win over Cartagena. Photo: Pilar Álvarez
Clearly, Ander Herrera is not fully fit. Not by any means. This Monday, he was part of the group that trained at a lighter pace with Real Zaragoza. This came after he was left out of the blue-and-white side’s squad just a few hours earlier.
MONDAY AFTER THE MATCH
Real Zaragoza returned to training at the training ground on Monday. The starters worked at a lower intensity, as usually happens during every post-match session. On this occasion, the aforementioned midfielder trained alongside them, and his availability for Friday will be decided as the week progresses.
Delgado was not a starter on Sunday either, although he came on as a substitute, while Rubén Iranzo and Diego González both started. Unless anything unusual happens during the week, all three will be available to Real Zaragoza’s coach in Ibiza.
Therefore, at this stage of the week, Ander Herrera is the main doubt. If he recovers from his problems, he could travel to Ibiza. Otherwise, there will be a wait…
