Javier Hernandez: Mexican Striker Would Solidify Juventus as Serie A Favorites

One club’s leftovers are another’s treasure.

After the transfer of Robin van Persie from Arsenal to Manchester United, Javier Hernandez is the odd man out in Old Trafford. He's likely to be on the move within the next couple weeks, and according to Ian McCourt of The Guardian, a team like Juventus could use the striker’s services.

Juventus has long dominated Serie A, but prior to last year, they were riding a bit of a championship drought. Signing Hernandez would make sure that the only streak they start in 2012 is a winning one.

This past season, Juventus managed to go undefeated despite the fact that they lacked an all-world goal scorer like, say, AC Milan boasts with Diego Milito. Their title push was a success because they just happened to have one of the best goaltenders of all time in Gianluigi Buffon. But if Juventus actually had a lethal scoring punch to complement that elite defense, they’d be nearly unstoppable.

And that’s where Hernandez comes in.

In his last two years with Man Utd, the 24-year-old Mexican scored 23 goals in Premier League action. That’s more than Alessandro Matri and Mirko Vucinic have scored in Serie A over that time period. And remember, Hernandez put up those numbers against superior competition while in the shadow of Wayne Rooney.

As “the man” on Juventus, he’d blow up. Now, I doubt he’d be able to score as often as Milito, but again, with Buffon in the net, Hernandez wouldn’t have to.

Sure, Juventus didn’t lose a match last season. But that definitely doesn’t mean they can’t improve. The club could use an injection of talent, especially after Antonio Conte’s 10-month ban.

Hernandez would provide just that, and he’d without a doubt make it the favorite to repeat as Serie A champ.

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.

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