Zaragoza Born in
Bilbao, Basque Country, Herrera began his career at
Real Zaragoza and made his professional debut in the
Segunda División in the
2008–09 season. He made 19 appearances that season as the
Aragonese club made an immediate return to
La Liga. He made his top-flight debut on 29 August 2009, in a 1–0 home win against
Tenerife. During the
2009–10 campaign, Herrera was one of Zaragoza's most used players as the club managed to retain its top-flight status. He scored his first league goal on 6 December, but in a 4–1 away defeat to
Mallorca. In
2010–11, Herrera continued to feature regularly for Zaragoza, under both
José Aurelio Gay and his successor
Javier Aguirre.
Athletic Bilbao On 7 February 2011, Herrera agreed to join
Athletic Bilbao on a five-year contract for a reported €7.5 million effective as of 1 July. Buyout clauses were set at €36 million in his first three seasons and €40 million in the remainder. Herrera made his official debut for Athletic Bilbao on 18 August 2011, playing the full 90 minutes in a 0–0 home draw against
Trabzonspor in the
2011–12 UEFA Europa League. He appeared in 54 official matches and scored four goals in his first season with the
Basque club, who reached the finals of both the
Copa del Rey and the
Europa League. In his third and
final season he played 33 league games as Athletic qualified for the
UEFA Champions League for the first time in 16 years.
Manchester United 2014–15 season in 2014 Herrera was the subject of a
£24 million offer from
Manchester United in August 2013, but the bid was rejected by Athletic Bilbao. A year later, Manchester United tried to sign him again. On 26 June 2014, Athletic announced on their official website that they had rejected a €36 million (£28.85 million) bid from Manchester United for Herrera. Athletic Bilbao later confirmed that Herrera had activated his buyout clause, allowing United to sign him. Manchester United announced on the same day they had completed the signing of Herrera on a four-year contract, pending the receipt of an International Transfer Certificate. Herrera made his debut in the opening game of the
Premier League season on 16 August, a 2–1 home defeat to
Swansea City. He played 67 minutes before being substituted for
Marouane Fellaini. Herrera picked up an injury during training and missed Manchester United's next two games against
Sunderland and
Burnley. In his first game back after returning from injury, against
Queens Park Rangers on 14 September 2014, he scored his first goal for the club and made an assist as Manchester United won the game 4–0. He scored again in United's next game, flicking in
Ángel Di María's shot with his heel in their 5–3 defeat to newly promoted
Leicester City on 21 September. Herrera scored his first
FA Cup goal with a dipping effort in a third round tie against
Yeovil Town on 4 January 2015. Herrera followed his cup goal against Yeovil with an important equalising goal against
Preston North End in the FA Cup fifth round; United would go on to win the tie 3–1 and progress to the quarter final stage. Herrera started a Premier League game for the first time since 2 December against Swansea City, scoring United's only goal – his fifth of the season – in a 2–1 defeat. On 4 April, Herrera scored the first brace of his career to help United beat
Aston Villa 3–1; he was also named
man of the match for his performances.
2015–16 season On 26 August 2015, in his first start of the season, he provided an assist for
Wayne Rooney's second goal and scored the fourth goal in a 4–0 win (7–1 aggregate) over Belgian side
Club Brugge in the second leg of their
Champions League play-off. He scored his second goal of the season from the penalty spot in Manchester United's 3–1 home win over Liverpool on 12 September. His good form continued with a man-of-the-match performance in a 3–0 win against
Everton at Goodison Park, in which he scored United's second – heading in from a
Marcos Rojo cross, and assisting Rooney's goal in the second half. On 25 February 2016, Herrera scored his first European goal at Old Trafford – a powerfully converted penalty in the latter stages of a 5–1 win over
Midtjylland, in the Round of 32 of the
Europa League. Later that week, on 28 February, Herrera scored the winning goal in a 3–2 victory over
Arsenal. On 23 April, Herrera featured in United's triumph in the
FA Cup Semi-final over
Everton at
Wembley; on as an 87th-minute substitute for
Marouane Fellaini with the score tied at 1–1, Herrera played a one-two with
Anthony Martial, sending the Frenchman through on goal to score a dramatic injury-time winner to seal a 2–1 win and send United through to the final. United went on to beat
Crystal Palace 2–1 in
the final, securing the cup and Herrera's first major honour with United.
2016–17 season Herrera's role initially remained limited to substitute appearances under new manager,
José Mourinho, with Fellaini preferred in midfield alongside world record signing
Paul Pogba. Herrera did, however, start in United's
League Cup third round tie versus
Northampton Town, and duly registered his first goal of the 2016–17 campaign in his side's 3–1 victory. He was subsequently retained in the starting line-up for the Premier League game against champions
Leicester City, and helped his side register a comfortable 4–1 win. Herrera was roundly lauded for his performances both against Leicester City and in the games that followed, and was named man of the match for helping Manchester United restrict free-scoring
Liverpool to a 0–0 draw at
Anfield. On 26 February, he was named in the starting XI for the
2017 EFL Cup Final win against
Southampton at
Wembley, and contributed an assist for
Zlatan Ibrahimović's second goal of the match which gave United a 3–2 lead and eventually proved to be the winning goal and secured Herrera's second major trophy with United. Having been sent off against
Chelsea on 13 March at
Stamford Bridge in their FA Cup quarter-final match, he turned in a man of the match display on 16 April against the same team at
Old Trafford in the Premier League by shackling
Eden Hazard, assisting
Marcus Rashford for the first goal, then himself getting on the scoresheet with the second goal for a 2–0 win which kept United in the hunt for a top-four finish and extended their unbeaten run to twenty-two matches. On 18 May 2017, Herrera was presented with the
Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award. After helping Manchester United win the
2017 UEFA Europa League Final on 24 May, Herrera was awarded the game's
man of the match accolade, which he dedicated to victims of the
Manchester Arena bombing that occurred a few days earlier.
2017–18 season Herrera's chances of playing looked to be diminishing with the arrival of
Nemanja Matić, but he remained with the team and fought for his place. On 26 January 2018, he scored his first goal of the season in a 4–0
FA Cup fourth round win against
Yeovil Town. On 21 April, he scored the winning goal in a 2–1 win over
Tottenham in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.
2018–19 season Following the November international break, Herrera was part of Manchester United's starting eleven to play
Southampton. The match saw Herrera score his first goal of the season, being the equaliser in the 2–2 draw. Herrera also started in United's midweek game against
Arsenal where he provided the assist for United's first goal by
Martial. Herrera started in United's first match with
Ole Gunnar Solskjær as manager, which saw Herrera score the second goal of the match which saw United beat
Cardiff City 5–1. On 18 February 2019, Herrera scored the first in a 2–0 win over
Chelsea, securing United's place in the
sixth round of the FA Cup. On 1 March, Herrera was announced as Manchester United's February player of the month. On 11 May 2019, it was confirmed that Herrera would be leaving United at the end of the season.
Paris Saint-Germain On 4 July 2019, Herrera had signed a five-year contract with
Ligue 1 champions
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). On 14 September, he made his league debut for PSG, coming on as a substitute for
Pablo Sarabia in a 1–0 win over
Strasbourg. Herrera scored his first goal for the club in a 4–4 league draw against
Amiens on 15 February 2020. In his first season at PSG, Herrera won the Ligue 1, the
Coupe de France, the
Coupe de la Ligue, the
Trophée des Champions, and was runner-up in the UEFA Champions League. In his second season in Paris, Herrera scored one goal in 45 matches as the club won the Coupe de France, the Trophée des Champions, and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League. On 11 September 2021, Herrera scored a brace in a 4–0 league win over
Clermont, the second brace of his career.
Return to Athletic Bilbao On 27 August 2022, Herrera returned to Athletic Bilbao on loan. A day later he was presented, with the number 23, at San Mamés in front of 2,000 fans. On 17 September he made his second debut as a
Lion in a home victory over
Rayo Vallecano, replacing
Oihan Sancet. On 18 October in his first start, he provided a backheel pass to
Iñaki Williams to score in the first minute of the fixture against
Getafe. On 31 January 2023, Athletic exercised their purchase option at no cost. On 2 March, he issued a statement expressing his concern about the continuous muscle injuries he was suffering throughout the season which were preventing him from having a sustained run of games. On 22 April, after three months without starting, he was in the lineup in a win over
Almería. In his second season, he was part of the squad which won the
Copa del Rey, although he was an unused substitute in
the final against Mallorca. On 13 June 2024, he extended his contract until 2025.
Boca Juniors On 17 January 2025, Athletic Bilbao and
Boca Juniors reached an agreement on the transfer of Herrera. ==International career==