Earlier this week, Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante picked up the PFA Player of the Year award, not only because of his instrumental role in the Blues' Premier League title bid this season but also for what it's told us about how integral he was to Leicester City's miraculous crowning at the end of 2015/16.

It's hard to take anything away from the France international, considering the sheer effort, energy and industriousness he puts into any given match is practically second-to-none without world football. Whether Chelsea would be able to play with just two in central midfield if they didn't have Kante at their disposal is certainly debatable, and thus whether Antontio Conte would have been able to implement his 3-4-3 revolution at Stamford Bridge.

Yet, if Manchester United were a few places higher up the table right now, Kante's unofficial title of the best midfield general in the Premier League might be contested with a little more conviction by the wider Premier League audience.

This time last year, as rumours of Jose Mourinho replacing Louis van Gaal at Old Trafford edged increasingly closer to fact, Ander Herrera's future with the Red Devils appeared shrouded in doubt; diminutive, skilful and sometimes passive, he didn't strike as a typical Mourinho player let alone a Mourinho midfielder - something powerhouse Paul Pogba's world-record arrival would later attest to.

But fast forward twelve months and Herrera is arguably United's most important player, dominating midfields not only with his already well-established quality on the ball but also his relentless tenacity out of possession, racking up the most interceptions of any Premier League midfielder this term despite only making 24 starts in the top flight.

And that's not the only statistic Herrera has trumped Chelsea's award-winning enforcer on this season. In fact, the numbers suggest the Spain international has actually performed better both offensively and defensively and made a bigger contribution to his side.

Of course, most would expect the 27-year-old to come out on top in terms of returns on the ball - passes and chances created particularly - as a typical La Liga import. But what will perhaps surprise readers is how closely the former Athletic Bilbao ace has matched Kante's defensive contributions as well; he shades just 0.01 less tackles per match, has weighed in with more interceptions and has actually won 7% more of his duels this term.

No question, Kante is a fantastic talent - but the fact Herrera's matched or surpassed him on most fronts midfielders are judged upon this season suggests the Spaniard should probably be getting a little more credit right now. And with Wayne Rooney likely to leave Old Trafford this summer, it begs the question of whether Herrera is the standout candidate to be United's next captain...

https://video.footballfancast.com/video-2015/pogba-problems.mp4