Why Manchester United Should Bring Javier Hernandez Back from the Wilderness

There was a compelling contrast to be made between the performances of two on-loan strikers—one at Manchester United, the other at Real Madrid—last weekend. Both teams look certain to reshuffle their attacking packs over the summer, but one striker’s future in particular remains in limbo between the two clubs.

Should Man Utd keep Javier Hernandez?

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Just hours after Radamel Falcao turned in a typically limp display in United’s 3-0 defeat to Everton, Javier Hernandez—on loan from Old Trafford—scored twice to lead European champions Real Madrid to a 4-2 win over Celta Vigo. Louis van Gaal really could have used the Mexican striker at Goodison Park.
Indeed, after just a handful of substitute and Copa del Rey opportunities all season, Hernandez has served a reminder of his true worth over the past week—with the Mexican stepping in for the injured Karim Benzema to score a crucial Champions League winner against Atletico Madrid, as well as a double against Celta Vigo on Sunday.
Real Madrid fans are now pondering whether Chicharito should have been afforded more of a chance by Carlo Ancelotti earlier in the season, given how the on-loan Man Utd forward has delivered so emphatically in his last two appearances.
So does Hernandez have a place at Man Utd? With the Old Trafford club almost certain to refuse the purchase option on Falcao—sending the Colombian striker back to Monaco after a dismal campaign—and Robin van Persie sliding down the steep arc of decline, could the Mexican be gleefully welcomed back by Van Gaal? Not likely, going on quotes in the Spanish press this week.

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“Chicharito’s future? I have sent him away already,” the United manager is quoted as saying in Marca. “I gave him a chance and then I said the same thing as I did to Danny Welbeck. When you are a substitute it is no good, and I won’t change over that. When you score a goal—as he has just done for Real Madrid—are you suddenly different? I don’t think so.”
But why is Van Gaal so adverse to accommodating Hernandez in his Man Utd squad for next season? The Mexican is exactly the sort of player the Dutchman could do with, providing a different option in the final third. United need a player like Hernandez, so why wouldn’t they bring the man himself back when his loan deal finishes at Real Madrid?
Against Everton, Van Gaal’s side were decidedly lethargic up front. By casting off Hernandez and Danny Welbeck in the same summer, the Dutchman bizarrely rid his side of a disruptive influence in the final third, as was blatantly evident at Goodison Park.

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When opposition teams sit deep and absorb Man Utd pressure, Van Gaal struggles to find the solution to break them down. Such was the case against Everton, as Falcao made a scant impression in the second half —with Wayne Rooney dropped back into the No. 10 role. There just wasn’t enough movement across the front line.
United need someone to break up the lines of opposition defence, something Rooney can do—but when he does so the Red Devils are left without a reliable goalscorer in the centre. Welbeck is among the best in Europe at performing this role, playing down the channels and creating space for team-mates. It’s why the decision to sell him to top-four rivals Arsenal is all the more baffling. 
Hernandez breaks up opposition defences in a different way, with relentless movement and a sheer willingness to meet crosses and through balls. The Mexican isn’t the most reliable of finishers—despite his impressive goalscoring record—but he always provides an option and an outlet. That’s more that can be said of Falcao at present.

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The Mexican’s worth to Man Utd is accentuated even further when considering the extent to which Van Gaal will likely restructure his attacking roster over the summer. Falcao and Van Persie could be on the way out, meaning United will need at least another two strikers before the start of the new campaign. Hernandez would fill one of those spots, freeing up cash to splurge on a genuinely world-class centre-forward. It makes sense to keep Chicharito.
Hernandez has just a year left to run on his Man Utd contract, and so, if he is to eventually leave Old Trafford, his sale will surely be sealed this summer. A number of Premier League clubs are reported to be interested in him, with Real Madrid also holding an option to sign him permanently for €20 million—as has been claimed by the Spanish press (via Metro). The Galacticos might well take up that option in light of Hernandez’s recent performances. 
“If Chicharito is in this form he’s non-negotiable, like Cristiano [Ronaldo], [Karim] Benzema, James [Rodriguez], [Gareth] Bale, [Sergio] Ramos, Isco, [Raphael] Varane, Pepe,” explained Ancelotti after Hernandez’s performance against Celta Vigo, as per Sky Sports. “I have a team of non-negotiables but only 11 can play and the rest stay on the bench.” Going on the Italian’s praise, Hernandez is good enough for Real Madrid, but not for Man Utd.

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It was once thought that Hernandez could line the lead for an elite club, after breaking onto the European scene with a storming debut season at Man Utd back in 2010-11. That premonition never really came to fruition, and indeed it’s debatable whether the Mexican will ever be considered a truly top-level striker. 
But United don’t need him to be. It could be that Hernandez wants to finally hold down a first-team place at another club, but if he wants to stay at Old Trafford and fight for opportunities, then Van Gaal should allow him to. 
The 26-year-old might not be an archetypal Van Gaal player, but then neither was Marouane Fellaini, who has turned out to be the Dutchman’s grand project at United this season.
Hernandez might not be the player Van Gaal wants, but he could be the player he needs.