Manchester United’s Javier Hernandez: The next Ole Gunnar Solskjaer?
Sir Alex Ferguson is renowned for making surprise signings. United’s lack of financial strength nowadays means that they have to look for young talent in order to compete with their rivals. With the signing of Javier Hernandez, Ferguson has yet again pulled
off a bargain.
Commonly known by his nickname “Chicharito”(the little pea), he caught the eye of Manchester United while playing for Chivas in Mexico. His performances impressed United’s scouts who gave the club the signal to sign him. However, because of his young age
United wanted to take their time before making a move for him.
The Mexican’s chances of being selected for the national team ahead of the world cup were increasing due to his great performances. This in turn, provoked the Red Devils to strike the deal as early as possible so that no one else could rival them in getting
the youngster’s signatures - The deal was agreed between the two parties before the end of last season. It was no less than a surprise as hardly anyone had heard of him before, atleast none from the Premier League. But that changed during the World Cup.An
extremely impressive display on the field saw Hernandez scoring twice for Mexico, that too against the likes of France and Argentina.
Interestingly, Hernandez also had the fastest recorded sprint during the tournament. His goal against France was a neat finish after he was put through on the goal with only the keeper to beat. For his second of the tournament, he turned away from Argentina’s
Martin Demichelis on the edge of the penalty box and blasted the ball in the goal with his left foot.Chicharito had proven his £7million worth and United fans were eagerly waiting to see the young star in Red threads.
And so started the little Mexican’s journey, as his first match for the English club came against MLS All-Stars in which he came off the bench to score. As part of his deal, Manchester United played against his former club Chivas to inaugrate their new stadium
a couple of days later. Chicarito played the first-half for Chivas and scored after just 8 minutes against his new employers! He was on the scoring sheet once again in the Community Shield final against Chelsea which Ferguson’s men won 3-1.
Hernandez has arguably carried on with his pre-season form and has already bagged 6 goals in 11 apperances which include three late winners against Valencia in the Champions League, Stoke City in the Premier League and Wolves in the Carling Cup. He is already
being compared to Manchester United legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer because of his style, strenght in the air - which he showed with his header against Stoke City - and for taking on the role of rescuing his side late on.
A gifted two-footed player who can bring an extra dimension to play, Chicharito has quickly adjusted to English football and his performances are getting better with more game time. He is not only scoring
goals but contributing and working hard for the team as well.
Importantly for United, he has formed a formidable partnership with Dimitar Berbataov in the absence of Wayne Rooney and it could be argued that the ‘little man – big man’ partnership has looked effective to say the very least. In addition to that, he brings
energy and flair on the field which increases the tempo of the game and gets the crowd going - One of the reasons he has won so many fans in so little time.
Sir Alex Ferguson must be quite pleased with his new signing who has far exceeded the expectations.To this, the manager deserves a good chunk of credit as the main ingredient of Manchester United’s success over the last 20 years has been Sir Alex’s devotion
towards nurturing young talent. He knows how to bring out the best from his players - the likes of Giggs, Ronaldo and Beckham have all benfited from his coaching.
If Manchester United are to continue their reign in English football then they will have to go on with their tradition, stick to what they do best, and not bother about how much their rivals are spending.Chicharito has proven that so far, and if he carries
on like he already is, then its safe to assume that the youngster is going to have a very successful career individually as well as with his new team.
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