Aug 17
Chelsea Make Hernandez Bid
Manchester United on Friday rejected an approach from Chelsea for Mexican striker Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez, according ESPNFC reporter Miguel Delaney in London.
Although Chelsea did not put in an official cash offer, they made an inquiry to United, based on the team’s wealth of forwards in the wake of its signing of Robin Van Persie earlier this week.
Chelsea lacks options up front after the departure of Didier Drogba. Fernando Torres is the only true striker in Roberto Di Matteo’s squad, making the signing of a back-up forward for an anticipated 4-2-3-1 formation essential. Their bid, however, was quickly turned away by United.
Chelsea’s approach was also prompted by the fact there had already been some doubt about Hernandez’s Old Trafford future given Van Persie’s arrival and the likelihood of less playing time, with Aston Villa recently rumoured to be one potential destination. Sir Alex Ferguson, however, made a point of mentioning the Mexican’s name when talking about his striking options after the signing of Van Persie.
“My situation now is I have the possibility that I can play [Wayne] Rooney through, Van Persie through, Chicharito [Javier Hernandez] through and I’ve got Danny Welbeck, who can play through… we also have young Federico Macheda, who is only 20 years old and still improving,” Ferguson said.
For his part, Hernandez was quoted recently as saying “there are parts of your life when you’re going to have competition. Having that competition in the team can be good. I will be ready when the manager wants me to play.” Certainly, it seems that the manager wants him to stay.
United is prepared to sell one of its strikers: Dimitar Berbatov. The Bulgarian was notably not mentioned in Ferguson’s press conference and the club have been trying to find a buyer all summer. So far, though, no serious interest has been forthcoming.
Hernandez’s agent said the Mexico national team star is not looking to switch clubs.
“Incorporating van Persie on the team reinforces the strikeforce. There will be more internal competition and Javier is a professional and he knows he will have to face this situation,” his agent, Eduardo Hernandez, told the Mexican newspaper, El Universal Thursday. “We are not looking to leave, unless the club tells us otherwise, a situation we have not received from their side. There is a contract and Javier will look to meet it. Manchester’s people are honorable and they have told us nothing to the contrary.”
The original story was found here on ESPN Soccernet.
Personally, of the five forwards we have now, Hernandez would be the one to go (if we had to see one leave), the thought of Berbatov and van Persie linking up with Rooney is frightening although I fear we’re unlikely to see that happen.
What do you think? Would you be happy to see Hernandez leave?
Related items from Red Rants:
Tags: Classic Posts · Manchester United
The_Philosopher (487)
Redrich (254)
Opti (215)
Stephen (187)
Moscow (150)
I am puzzled by the disinterest in Berbatov. He is extremely talented and for his technical playing style, he is not “Old” yet. Wouldn’t be surprised if he goes on Loan to Swansea with Laudrup seeking technically gifted players…
Everyone\\\\\\\'s talking about this one! - Join the debate.... Like or Dislke:
14 
2
This ‘rumour’ stinks of greedy agent to me…
Like?
0 
0
Hernandez is goin nowhere. He is the future. Berbs is gone to free up wages. I do luv the guy tho. But hernandez offers a different dimension.
Like?
2 
0
Javier is the future of united because the new signing rvp is getting close to his thirtys definitely there will be a replacement
Like?
1 
0
The Berbatov situation is a disgrace. Ferguson unceremoniously dumped him from the first team and put him on ice as the back up in case Welbeck and Hernandez flopped. Hopefully with Van Persie signed up he’ll get the move he deserves. Because with his skillset he could improve almost any club.
I don’t see us selling Hernandez. At least not yet. I don’t see him as a regular starter because while he is a good finisher the rest of his game is not up to scratch and he is very lightweight. But when on form he is a player you can bring on from the bench to change the game. That is how I anticipate him being used.
He looked a bit jaded last season. Perhaps the fears about neurological problems dented his confidence. I dunno. But I think he has a future at the club. Although I do see him being sold once he gets fed up of not starting every game
Like?
11 
0
I would not be too sorry to see Hernandez sold. He will never be a starter in the modern formations, and with the arrival of RVP there isn’t even a place for him in a 4-4-2. His finishing is decent, but too often he falls over his own feet, slows our attack down with poor first touch, dribbling and passing. However he can excel here as a super sub.
Like?
3 
3
Moscow you crazy? He is the best finisher at the club. Of course that isn’t so essential now we have two 30 goal a season strikers. But definitely a useful option to have to come off the bench.
If anyone is going to be short on game time (besides Berbatov) it is gonna be Welbeck.
Like?
1 
0
@colver: Inzaghi was a great finisher, but his kind are now extinct. Now tell me, would you say no to big money for a super sub?
I dare anyone to tell me Hernandez has the passing and dribbling play up front on his own. Anyone?
Like?
5 
1
Bebatov’s demise was his failure to perform in big games – to the point where he just wasn’t selected for big games.
I’m not sure that Hernandez is much better in that respect, but he does have that “Ole aura” about him and he might prove very useful coming off the bench. Probably a make it or break it season for him.
Like?
0 
0
Dumb as it might sound, but how about Hernandez + 2m for Dempsey?? He would give Welbeck a run for his money and a little cattle-prod for Rooney.
I love the last 2 weeks of August!!
Like?
1 
1
Selling Chicharito would be a HUGE mistake.
Chicharito is a fantastic striker. Ice in his veins. Lethal finisher and now with a summer of rest, he will be both a super sub and push past Welbeck to become our 3rd best striker at United, like OSG did in 2000.
If Chelsea is officially interested, surely he is better than some of you think
Watch the pea unroll defenses this season and come back to apologize.
Like?
3 
0
@@Opti: I like him too, but he’s no Dempsey. He’s there for the taking – give Fulham what they want and make Clint part of the CL (what he wants).
Like?
2 
1
Arsenal are crazy selling Song to Barca.
Viera, Henry
Fabregas, Nasri
van Persie, Song
…
there is NO WAY they can continue to sell their backbone and compete.
Arsenal for 6th this season.
Like?
0 
0
I don’t think Hernandez is going anywhere. worse case scenario is him being loaned out but I don’t really see that happening. Berbatov looks the most likely to leave but I think this season could define where Hernandez’s future lies beyond 2013.
Macheda will only feature in league cups if he stays but I see a last minute deal for him to switch clubs. far too old to waste himself on the reserves and if I were him, I would be looking for first team football elsewhere rather than just stalling
Like?
0 
0
I tnk chicha has a place in fergie’s squad.he’l be our tird bst strika dis season.anyone dat tnks chicha is a poor striker is mad
Like?
0 
0
@Moscow People said similar things about Van Nistelrooy. “He only scores tap-ins”. Absolutely ridiculous.
He looked tired last year, but in rotation with RVP/Welbeck it could be frighteningly good.
Agree though that Berbatov’s treatment has been disgraceful. Hope he gets a decent move.
Like?
0 
0
No Hernandez shouldn’t be sold he is a very good goalscorer , and yes berbatov should be sold , don’t get me wrong he has incredible skill but its just he looks so disinterested on the pitch when he plays and he is really slow I think that he slows the team down when he plays , be glad to see him gone
Like?
0 
0
With Hernandez you are not just getting his finishing ability you are also getting his instinct and pace which means he creates chances for himself in a way that other players can’t by being in the right place at the right time.
Since we will have more creativity in the team with the addition of Kagawa and Rooney now moved into a deeper role I expect Hernandez to flourish when he gets the chances.
I think the player who will really suffer is Welbeck as Van Persie can do everything he can do and more and will be the main partner for Rooney this season. Ferguson has pretty much said as much saying that he expects Welbeck to learn from Van Persie.
Like?
2 
0
Redrich what is all the fuss about Clint Dempsey? He is 29 years old and would be behind Rooney and Kagawa (and possibly Giggs) in the pecking order. If we wanted to sign him we could get him for around £15 million. I’d place a valuation on Hernandez of at least £20 million as the guy has shown he can score goals at the highest level.
2010/11 no-one would have considered letting Hernandez go. One slightly disappointing season and the signing of a 29 year old Van Persie and everyone is keen to let him go for peanuts.
Like?
4 
0
I’m not (yet) a big fan of Chicharito,but i have to agree with Colver. We’re a thankless, amnesiac generation. In terms of scoring regularity I’d have him top. When it comes to finishing, only RvP can be considered better and that’s arguable. I wouldn’t sell him. He’s got pace,remarkable intelligence and mind boggling movement in front of the keeper. The only player I’ve seen with that kind of movement is Ronaldo. His biggest problem is technical ability not awareness. That can be fixed. His passing accuracy is very low and his touch under pressure is poor. It’s amazing though how both he and Rooney have such great ball control in the box and yet look amateur outside. He will improve those aspects.
Welbeck is my kind of forward. Tricky,pacy, audacious, skillful and creative. Same type of player as RvP or Berbatov. Less skillful but generally likes involving teammates with good link up play. His biggest issue is not a lack of confidence but perhaps too much of it. Especially when he gets selfish in the box. His finishing is good enough but not world class, due to his dribbling urges in the box, which make him unbalanced. But he too can fix this and learn from RvP,a player that is as complete as any human footballer can be. So I wouldn’t sell him either.
Berbatov is a crime that needs closure in the future. Ferguson is capable of destroying players and he should answer for this horrible crime of turning a potential world top 5 forward,into a joke that noone will sign. Apparently he didn’t perform in the big games. What big games? This is just a case of poor management. There’s a very good reason why Berbatov cost us a record amount. If he had cost, say Milan, or Madrid or Munich or Barca the same amount, he’d be one of the best players in the world. He simply chose the wrong club. Ok, I’m done with the bitterness part. The reality now is, he’s the only player who should leave. Personally, I’d play him ahead of Rooney if it were necessary and that’s why he has to go. In all honesty a Rooney,RvP,DB9 strikeforce would have been a real terror in the right technical hands. In the wrong hands, it’d be an expensive joke and we ought to cut our losses here.
My biggest concern is Michael Carrick. I used to mock City when they had nearly 11 first team forwards and enjoyed their seasonal falling apart due to their lack of balance amongst other things. However, the shoe is now on the other foot. If PSG had not saved us, we would have 5 wide players all capable of first team action. We now have 5 forwards, of high quality. What about Michael Carrick’s cover? There’s noone at the club who can play the type of roles he plays. Ferguson even alluded and exaggerated a bit, citing him as our key to European success. Okay say he gets injured. What next? Had we groomed Pogba into that role last season, then I’d be less concerned. I don’t see how Cleverly and Anderson can do that. You can basically group,Anderson and Cleverly and Scholes into the same kind of midfield category. Playmakers. Fletcher is unfit and in my opinion not capable in holding roles.
With Evra probably having to play every single match, we’re royally screwed at leftback. If either Carrick or Evra get injured, we’re in trouble.
Like?
3 
2
@Jay wire: man didnt real buy kaka for 55m and then destroy him? or what about villa fellow at barca?
some things are just not meant to be. breba is misfit at united. our play does not suit him. lets all just move on. the onus was on him to prove himself here and not the other way round. i havent seen him influence any big games (there nmight be exceptions). even chicha has more goals againt chelsea than him. he is not meant for the fast game. he should move to the italian league.
at least today we all can laugh at liverpool and l’arse. thank you arsene for screwing your club
Like?
2 
0
The difference is that with Berbatov he didn’t flop. 2010/11 he was our top scorer. Then inexplicably he gets benched for an entire season.
Honestly I don’t know why there isn’t more interest.
I’m also concerned about the lack of cover for Carrick. Ferguson hates the word “holding midfielder” but that is the role Carrick plays for us and in the games last season we played without Carrick we looked way too open. Jones and Fletcher are too “energizer bunny” and lack the positioning and passing ability to play that role.
Like?
0 
0
@colver: he wasnt benched from the start. he didnt start with a bang next season, and it is a results oriented industry. once you are out, its tough to get back, more so if age is not on your side. maybe berba is not so good in training – who knows.
also theres some talk of an interest in dembele guy. would he be a carrick alternative? i dont know how good he is or what roles he can play but he seems like a midfielder. of course if he comes fergie might still play him in defence or left back or even GK.
Any bets on Berba playing holding mid role this season if need arises
?
Like?
0 
0
Jos, Doubt it would happen but its certainly not as silly as it sounds. after all he is a holding player?.hes big has a surplus of talent, not silly at all worth a try.
Like?
1 
0
I dont get the RVP deal. 1 year left on his contract and that injury record and we blow 24 million on him plus his wages. Strikers not our problem. Midfield HUGE problem. I suppose the muppets are happy cos we spent money. Strange deal makes no sense to me. Talk about a lack of balance in the squad.
Like?
0 
0
I prefer hernandez to rvp. I bliv he stil has more time with us
Like?
0 
0
@ RedEyes and any others who dont understand the signing of RVP- We have bought a complete striker, fantastic at all aspects of the striking game. You see Chicharito cant pass, cant hold the ball up, has an awful first touch nevertheless he can be lethal in front of goal. Van Persie on the other hand can pass, can hold up the ball, has a fantastic first touch and is lethal in front of goal. My fear for Chicha is actually only his first touch, you see for world class strikers , the first touch is of paramount importance – some have it, others dont. The striker i have seen with the best first touch AT CRUCIAL MOMENTS is RUUD VAN NISTELROOY- and i believe that is the major difference between RUUD and CHICHA- Lets leave him as supersub, i truly believe he will deliver that way.
Now with Wellbeck- as funny as this may sound……he needs a bit of Chicha in him i.e… needs to be more lethal in front of goal. You see, by the time he is 25, RVP should be waning and Wellbeck would have learnt a lot from both RVP and Wayne Rooney and would definitely be ready to start week in week out. I hve the utmost faith in him, he just needs to progress naturally.. No pressure, no expectations, he just needs games and a healthy competition for places to inspire him to be better. Give him 3 yrs and he”ll be worldclass. Right now Rooney and RVP can have 50 goals between them. i mean last season we just didnt have a dependable 2nd option to go to. look at the wealth of option City had last season. They have changed the game. Three of their strikers were in double figures in the league!!!!!!! WE had only Rooney..
Berba- oh well, What a class act we’ve wasted. However if we are all being honest he wasnt as effective as we all expected him to be. I love him, i think he is one of the very few honorable footballer left. In a different lifetime he would be our star man, he really is that good. But for this life it was a bad marriage and we just have to cut out losses. In fairness, he should have played more last season considering he topped our charts the previous season. As someone on here pointed out, Kaka didnt work at Real, Ibra
didnt work at Barca, Shevy didnt work at chelsea, Suker didnt work at Arsenal- the list goes on.
I still think we are a bit short in Midfield- as our numbers include an Unfit Fletcher, an Unproven Cleverly, Underdeveloped Anderson, a 31 Year old carrick, a 37 year old Scholes, a 38 yr old Giggs. i just dont get why we havent strengthed. Now when Scholes, Butt, Beckham and the Nevilles came through, they were unproven as well- HOWEVER football has evolved since and there are financially buoyant team willing to spend whatever it takes to win and can go out and buy established, proven STARS.
Who in our midfield can compete with Yaya Toure? i hear us being linked with Moutinho, Tiote, Cabaye, Wanyama, Dembele, Witsel, Fellani, formerly Rodwell e.t.c…. if i had my way, i would pick Dembele and Witsel…. Both are tall and can be physically emposing, young, fearless, strong and can still improve, they have already amassed an impressive number of appearances and are therefore experienced for their ages. I like Wanyama as well but he is less experienced. Witsel and Wanyama wouldnt be intimidated by the beast that is Yaya Toure, Dembele would be more of the ball playing midfielder.
What do you guys think
Like?
1 
0
Rumor mill: Kaka to united!!
If that happens surely fergie is gone bonkers. As if we are short on attacking options!!
Or maybe Nani leaving is coming true.
Like?
0 
0
Kaka is top class but the rumors are rubbish. Even for Ferguson’s idea of “needs”. He’s not exactly a different situation from his current one. At Real, his impediment is Mesut Ozil. They’ll be rotated. If he comes to United, it’s him versus Kagawa. Nani is a wide player, Kaka is primarily an attacking midfielder. In fact, one of the pioneers of the modern day central attacking midfielder role. He can play from wide, producing less quality than Nani. Him and Kagawa in one team, works when we play primarily through the middle which we don’t. Or if we play a midfield 3 or Chelsea type diamond system. Which we can’t. If we sign Kaka post all your hats and shoes to me and I’ll fry them with shoe polish and eat tender
Like?
0 
0
jos.
Real did hamper Kaka. David Villa is definitely not a Barca failure. Him getting injured last season= Barca failing to win the league. He’s their and Spain’s star striker. Berbatov was not a misfit on the pitch as people claim. Otherwise so is Rooney. There was a time not too long ago when Rooney would score in 5 consecutive games, then go missing for 10. Excuses were made. If Berba,had scored 30 goals the season before last, would we be having this discussion? I think not. But you’ll say, well he didn’t score 30. Think of it. He was benched soon after the 3-2 comeback victory against Blackpool, when Rooney was utterly poor and got replaced by Chicharito. Berba scored two goals. Then got benched the rest of the season. That was February. But he still finished as league top scorer. Who’s to say he’d fail to score more than 10 between then and May? He wasn’t even selected for Champions League games from the start. Trust me, this had very little to do with football reasons. At least common sense ones. Last season, 5 starts, 7 goals. Hardly figures of a failure. People act as if Rooney takes the burden for goals. Chicharito can easily outscore him with good tactics. He’s the only player who doesn’t get benchtime even when in poor form. That’s a Ferguson bias and not a lack of options
Like?
2 
0
SELL TO CHEL$KI, NO WAY JOSE!!!
CHICHARITO SHOWS LOYALTY & A LOVE OF MANCHESTER UNITED. GET OFF Little Pea’s back and watch him blossom.
CHEL$KI, they think their Russian Oil Money, like Manchester Citeh’s oil money bought them ONE title last season. Errrr, where are Shiteh at this point in time? Third and NOT looking too impressive with it’s team of mercenaries. Hey, a name change; MERCENARY CITEH!!!
Like?
0 
0