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Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez was deemed surplus to the requirements of Manchester United last summer and moved to Real Madrid only to find out that things weren’t much different there. The Little Pea was left to warm the bench for over half a year at the Spanish capital and it wasn’t until the final few weeks of the season that he had a real opportunity to prove his worth.
Although the Mexican did prove to be a vital addition in the end with his strikes, most notably against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, Los Blancos refused to tie him up on a permanent basis after the season culminated and he is now left to face the infelicitous task of returning to his old stomping ground of Old Trafford.
While the Manchester outfit are preparing for yet another summer of massive spending, Chicharito will find lesser opportunities under Louis van Gaal. At 26, he is still in his prime and has the potential to bloom into a world beater. However, for that to happen, he must consider his options elsewhere.
Here are four destinations Chicharito must seriously contemplate if he is to revive his career.
1) Inter Milan
According to the latest reports emerging from Inter, the Milanese club have tabled an £8 million bid for the striker as their manager Roberto Mancini is said to be interested in bringing him to San Siro as one of the two new strikers he’s looking to add to the fold.
Inter Milan had another season full of disappointment and finished a lowly eighth in Serie A. The fallen giants of Europe are still in the rebulding process and how better can it get by the signing of a player of Hernandez’s stature? The Mexican is a swift, tireless worker on and off the ball and can score on his day. With Lukas Podolski and Xherdan Shaqiri not really living upto the hype, the Nerazurri might consider adding another star name to their squad, albeit, who is more potent and currently in a rich vein of form.
While both trophies and Europe are in the backseat at Inter, Chicharito would nevertheless get ample time to strut the field and his dynamism may help the depleted club to get on the European map again. With Inter Milan clamouring for more firepower in the attack and Hernandez looking for more gametime, the two are a match made in heaven.
2) Liverpool
Brendan Rodgers certainly has a long summer ahead, a summer filled with introspection and big decisions to make. His Liverpool side were abysmal in the 2014/15 campaign. The void left by Luis Suarez was too big to fill which is clear from the fact that the Reds struck only 52 times in the league, 50 less than the 2013/14 season. Liverpool must bring back the flair in their attack if they are to contend strongly on all fronts next season and Hernandez is one option they must not ignore.
Rickie Lambert hasn’t completely found his feet, Mario Balotelli is highly erratic, Daniel Sturridge has recurring injury concerns and Raheem Sterling is most probably on his way out of the Merseyside club. With this, Liverpool are indeed stuck in a quandary and the signing of Hernandez can be a solution to their attacking woes, if not a permanent solution.
With the playmaking likes of Philippe Coutinho, Jordan Henderson and now James Milner working behind him, chances will be created aplenty. And in Hernandez, they have a pure finisher, an ideal No.9, whom they can bank on for the goals. With a reported market value of £10 million, it would be a steal.
But would Manchester United sell to their direct rivals?
3) Lazio
The Rome outfit showed gritty performances in the league this season and sent shockwaves when they qualified for the Champions League at the expense of Napoli and Fiorentina. In Europe, they will be up against more formidable sides and cannot depend on the aged legs of Miroslav Klose every time.
The German veteran is 37 now and way past his prime. An influx of fresh legs is needed to bolster the attack and the 26-year-old Chicharito may be exactly what they are looking for.
The former Guadalajara striker can be an ideal replacement for Klose. Swift, effervescent and clinical in the final third, Chicharito can give a new dimension to the Lazio attack and can also forge a fierce offence partnership with Felipe Anderson and Antonio Candreva.
Lazio had one of their best seasons this year and having the Manchester United striker in their ranks will only provide further impetus to their charge next season.
4) Everton
Everton’s dream run in the 2013/14 season lost its steam this season with the Europa League being more of a focus for Roberto Martinez. The Toffees were nowhere near the side that mounted such a serious challenge to the top teams of England last term and also the fact that they couldn’t even finish in the top half of the table shows how steep they have fallen within a span of 12 months.
Change is the need of the hour and having a second striker, partnering the blistering Romelu Lukaku, would make for a really tantalizing prospect. Once a perilous tormentor of these Merseysiders, Chicharito can now become a talisman of sorts at Everton.
His predator like instincts and lurking near the last defender can help him become a great ally to the Belgian and both he and Lukaku can together get Everton back into the top 5 of the Premier League.
