Ander Herrera's court date postponed

Ander Herrera is back in the frame for this evening's game against Newcastle United, after his court appearance in Spain — scheduled for tomorrow morning — was postponed. Herrera had been sue to give evidence relating to allegations that he, along with several others, had conspired to fix a Spanish League game in 2011. Herrera denies any wrongdoing.

The midfielder had been due to appear in court in Valencia tomorrow morning, meaning that he'd have faced a quick schlep from the north-east of England to the eastern coast of Spain. As such, it wouldn't have been a huge surprise if Louis van Gaal had decided to give him the evening off: court appearances can be rather distracting things. But the Mirror reports that the prosecutors have "failed to locate" some of those implicated, so the whole thing has been pushed back.

We don't know how the impending court case has been affecting the player, though a bit of impact might go some way to explaining Louis van Gaal's mysterious aversion to picking the lad. Let's hope that any weight on his shoulders can, at least, be lifted for the rest of the season.