Aside from the 18 goals and his role in the transformation of Manchester United’s attacking play, Javier Hernandez appears to have mastered the illusion of déjà vu all over again since being paraded at Old Trafford as a budget-priced, unknown Mexican last April.
The last time Sir Alex Ferguson plucked a centre-forward from obscurity having
failed to land a more established goalscorer, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer rewarded
the United manager with 19 goals in his first season at Old Trafford.
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| Javier Hernandez Chicharito Action |
Back in 1996, Ferguson invested £1.5 million in the unheralded Norwegian after
Alan Shearer had chosen a £15 million transfer to Newcastle ahead of a move
from Blackburn to United.
Fourteen years later, the £7 million acquisition of Hernandez from Chivas de
Guadalajara was a nod to the future following David Villa’s decision to
choose Barcelona, rather than United, after being allowed to complete a £34
million transfer from Valencia.
But with the prospect of 11 more games still to play this season, few would
wager against Hernandez eclipsing Solskjaer’s return of 19 goals in 46
appearances during his debut campaign at United.
Hernandez, aka Chicharito, has already contributed 18 in 37 outings – the
latest being the opener in Tuesday’s Champions League victory against Chelsea.
Yet while it took Solskjaer three years to become a United icon by scoring the
injury-time winner against Bayern Munich in the 1999 Champions League Final
which completed a Treble, Hernandez could accomplish the same feat at the
first attempt if Ferguson’s team accelerate towards another remarkable
hat-trick of trophies.
“When I saw him [Hernandez] in pre-season, it seemed that he was a born goalscorer, similar to Ole [Solskjaer],” Ryan Giggs admits. “It’s how he scores important goals and wants to score important goals.
“The manager has always bought young players who come and we try to develop. Cristiano [Ronaldo] was the same, and also Wayne [Rooney].
“We try to sign young players and develop them in the team and it’s the same with Chiccho.”
Off the field, Hernandez has also delivered for United.
In Mexico, Nike have increased production of the United shirt by 300 per cent in an effort to keep pace with the demand that has seen Barcelona relegated to second-most popular overseas club in the country.
Similarly, United’s Spanish-language website has over 50,000 subscribers in Central America, but the reception granted to Hernandez prior to his debut for the club in Houston last summer, when over 1,000 fans crowded out a sports store in the Texan city, highlighted his likely impact.
Hernandez’s contribution on the pitch has been key, however.
His pace and movement have enabled United to stretch teams in the manner that Ronaldo allowed them to do so, while his willingness to offer himself as a jet-heeled target has coincided with the return to form of Rooney and Michael Carrick.
“He plays on the shoulder and he runs in behind defenders.” Giggs said. “That has a massive effect on the team because Wayne is able to pick up spaces behind him and it gives Wayne space to play and produce performances like against Chelsea.
“Chiccho is really important for his goals, but not only his goals — his team play as well. He stretches teams and that’s great for the lads behind him because it gives them space to play.
He is a constant worry because defenders don’t want forwards to be running in behind, it’s as simple as that.
“He is always in the right place at the right time too and that’s a great knack, and what Ole had.”
Hernandez is likely to partner Dimitar Berbatov against Manchester City on Saturday in the absence of the suspended Rooney, but at 22 and in his first season in English football, Ferguson insists he has no reservations over Chicharito’s ability to have an impact.
Ferguson said: “When he first came in, I think it was like every other young
player coming from another continent to English football, it’s not easy.
"But bit-by-bit, when we were bringing him on and he started to perform and score these important goals, you said ’well, his rest period is over, his breaking-in period is over’.‘
“He has been more regular and his performances have improved by it and he’s just done absolutely fantastic.
“In America last summer, “I remember Paul Scholes saying ’boss, he’ll score 25 goals.’ “I said, ’do you think so’. He said ’yeah, he’s got the touch’. So we had an expectation that he would score.”
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| Javier Hernandez Chicharito |
“When I saw him [Hernandez] in pre-season, it seemed that he was a born goalscorer, similar to Ole [Solskjaer],” Ryan Giggs admits. “It’s how he scores important goals and wants to score important goals.
“The manager has always bought young players who come and we try to develop. Cristiano [Ronaldo] was the same, and also Wayne [Rooney].
“We try to sign young players and develop them in the team and it’s the same with Chiccho.”
Off the field, Hernandez has also delivered for United.
In Mexico, Nike have increased production of the United shirt by 300 per cent in an effort to keep pace with the demand that has seen Barcelona relegated to second-most popular overseas club in the country.
Similarly, United’s Spanish-language website has over 50,000 subscribers in Central America, but the reception granted to Hernandez prior to his debut for the club in Houston last summer, when over 1,000 fans crowded out a sports store in the Texan city, highlighted his likely impact.
 |
| Javier Hernandez Chicharito |
His pace and movement have enabled United to stretch teams in the manner that Ronaldo allowed them to do so, while his willingness to offer himself as a jet-heeled target has coincided with the return to form of Rooney and Michael Carrick.
“He plays on the shoulder and he runs in behind defenders.” Giggs said. “That has a massive effect on the team because Wayne is able to pick up spaces behind him and it gives Wayne space to play and produce performances like against Chelsea.
“Chiccho is really important for his goals, but not only his goals — his team play as well. He stretches teams and that’s great for the lads behind him because it gives them space to play.
He is a constant worry because defenders don’t want forwards to be running in behind, it’s as simple as that.
“He is always in the right place at the right time too and that’s a great knack, and what Ole had.”
Hernandez is likely to partner Dimitar Berbatov against Manchester City on Saturday in the absence of the suspended Rooney, but at 22 and in his first season in English football, Ferguson insists he has no reservations over Chicharito’s ability to have an impact.
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| Javier Hernandez Chicharito |
"But bit-by-bit, when we were bringing him on and he started to perform and score these important goals, you said ’well, his rest period is over, his breaking-in period is over’.‘
“He has been more regular and his performances have improved by it and he’s just done absolutely fantastic.
“In America last summer, “I remember Paul Scholes saying ’boss, he’ll score 25 goals.’ “I said, ’do you think so’. He said ’yeah, he’s got the touch’. So we had an expectation that he would score.”
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