Herrera: "We are enjoying the China Tour"

Ander, preseason is notoriously tough on players. How is it going so far?
I like to train. When I was a kid, this is what I wanted: to represent a big club like Paris Saint-Germain. Yes, it’s harder than during the season because we have to run more and it’s too hot, too humid here in China. We are enjoying being here in China where we have a lot of fans and we are representing a huge club and we are excited to train and play here so it’s not a problem.

As soon as you landed you had a big training session straight away...

That's true! At the beginning, when we came out onto the pitch we were all tired, but I think when you’re tired like that and you’re trying not to sleep, to fight the jetlag it’s good to train and to sweat… and I think everyone sweated a lot and it was good. The pitch was good and there were some fans there to support is so it was good. 

There has been a lot of support for Paris Saint-Germain in China...
As I told you before, when we were little kids, we had our idols and people we looked up to and now, for some people, we are those idols and that’s amazing! I always try to be nice and gentle with them because they are part of this too, they are why Paris Saint-Germain are so big and win so much because they are behind us and it’s a pleasure. It’s true that in China there are a lot of people. If I’m not mistaken, it’s like 1.3 billion, so sometimes it’s a bit crazy with all the supporters, but it’s nice and I would like to say thank you to all of them because when we get here, we feel at home and not like we’re on the other side of the world.

This tour is also a chance for you to settle into the squad. Do you do anything special to try and fit in?
I just try to be myself, be natural. I am lucky because I have joined an amazing group of people and also some other Spanish players which is important because of the language. I’m also trying to speak to the guys in French and also in English because most of the guys speak English too. I feel like I’ve been here for so long and it’s only been two or three weeks so it’s fantastic.

Is victory against Inter Milan essential?
To be honest, the result is not the most important thing, but it always matters because you want to win and we are playing against a top club. A team that has a new manager that I know very well because I have played against him a few times and his teams are always very competitive and it’s never easy top play against them and it’s a good test for us. But the most important thing is to keep getting minutes in our legs, avoid injuries and try to win of course!

The Trophée des Champions against Rennes is in a week. How important is it for you to win that first trophy?
We will fight for it. We have to play against Rennes and they beat Paris in the final last year so it’s a good test for us and it’s the first official match of the season so we are looking forward to it. We want to leave China with the trophy, but they want to do the same so we have to respect them. I was lucky enough to see a few of their games last season in the Europa League and they have some good players and we will have to be at our best.