Ask Manchester United fans if they would still like Javier Hernandez in their squad. Most would say ‘Yes’.
Ask the same fans if they would start ‘Chicharito’ up front in a run of games and you may cause a split.
The Mexican got off to a flyer at Old Trafford with a series of crucial goals and contributions over his first three years. Alex Ferguson looked upon him as the next Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – a ‘super sub’.
Once David Moyes arrived, however, his fortunes dipped and he struggled to get a look in. Louis van Gaal gave him even shorter shrift, loaning him out to Real Madrid one year and hocking him to Bayer Leverkusen the next.
Hernandez went on to score 26 goals in 37 games for a side that finished third in this season’s Bundesliga and competed in the Champions League.
In an interview with Four Four Two magazine, the 28-year-old states that he was never afforded a proper run of starts at United to prove he could be a frontline striker. It is a wholly valid argument. He commented:
“I never had the chance to play 20 games in a row so people could say: ‘He’s a good player who should stay’ or ‘He can’t be the star; he’s not a good player’.
“Ask the United fans. The numbers are there. I started only 85 games at United and I scored 60 goals [in total]. At Real, I started just 12 games and scored nine goals.
“At Leverkusen, I’ve started 37 games and I have 26 goals. The difference is that Leverkusen want me on the pitch. The others didn’t.”
United could not argue with Hernandez as he rarely got more than three starts in a row. He often failed to impose himself on games when he started up front, though, and did his best work off the bench.
Did he get a run of consecutive games? No.
Did most United fans mind at the time? No.
