Javier Hernandez: Why the Striker Must Leave Manchester United to Move Forward

Javier Hernández has not had his best season with Manchester United.

This has triggered a lot of transfer buzz around the Mexican superstar.

Lack of goals, very few minutes on the pitch and Robin van Persie's arrival are some of the reasons why he hasn't looked like his old self.

"Chicharito" has played eight games and scored once this season; as a consequence, several transfer rumors have surfaced since late September.

Is this the time for Hernández to take off the Red Devils jersey? It would definitely be a wise move.

Here are five reasons why he should do it.

Hernández seems to have lost his magical touch.

Do you remember his debut season? He scored goals with his face, the back of his head, the ankle, you name it.

It is true that the defenders know him better now than when he came to the Premier League, but still, he has had a tough time finding the net.

Javier needs to play more or he will become the next Carlos Vela, Giovani dos Santos or Pablo Barrera. They are fantastic footballers, but their lack of play—especially the latter's—has raised doubts regarding his performance.

"CH14" has been erratic with Mexico's national team, too. He missed a penalty kick against Guyana, and went scoreless for 452 minutes, his longest drought with El Tri.

He is still a cornerstone of the national squad, there's no doubt about that, but imagine what he could do if he went to a club where he actually played.

Does anyone think that Hernández is the same, emotionally speaking?

The striker's confidence has declined little by little.

Even when he has said repeatedly that he is not obsessed with scoring and that he would swap all his goals for titles, "Chicharito's" frustration is clear.

On August 16, David McDonnell reported that the Mexican was frustrated as a result of the lack of opportunities to play. That same day, Javier refused to talk about Robin van Persie’s move to United with ESPN.

He has been widely criticized in Mexico for his celebratory moves, which included pointing his finger to his head in the match against Costa Rica, letting the fans know that he still remembers how to score.

Javier has resorted to this sort of thing, now that the fans have started to question his performance.

They are simply used to watching him score in every single game.

If he really wants to have a successful career in Europe, he needs to think about his future. Javier needs to play more and stay physically fit.

Missing penalty kicks and clear goal opportunities won't take him anywhere, but once again this is a consequence of not being at his best.

However, Hernández has managed to become one of Mexico's best players. His goal against El Salvador put him in a tie for 10th with Benjamín Galindo among El Tri's all-time scorers, with 28 goals.

Another interesting fact is that "Chicharito" has played 43 times with Mexico, which means he scores 0.65 goals per game.

With the Red Devils, Javier has played 84 matches and scored 33 times, this gives him a 0.39 scoring average.

Imagine what he could do if he played on a regular basis. His performances, both with the national team and his club would be overwhelming. 

Fiorentina, Arsenal, Chelsea and Atlético Madrid are some of the clubs that have been linked with a possible move.

The Daily Mail assures that the Italian club is willing to offer $12.7 million for "Chicharito," plus his $127,515-a-week wages.

There are two things that will not make this deal possible: The Viola are not a Champions League team, and what they are allegedly offering is about the same as Manchester United paid for the Mexican in 2010.

Real Madrid is also in the mix; Hernández would be a bargain chip. According to The Guardian, Sir Alex Ferguson wants to grab some Merengues for his team, including Kaka.

Atlético Madrid came into the picture when Metro reported that Los Colchoneros want to bring Javier as Falcao's replacement—he would leave in January. The club is reportedly ready to offer $19.1 million for the Mexican.

Other clubs that have been interested are Chelsea—ESPN tweeted that the deal was blown in August—and Arsenal—the Mirror had said that "Chicharito" would replace Van Persie.

Hernández has preferred to stay away from the buzz and stay focused, as he said before the Guyana and El Salvador games.

The Red Devils paid around $16 million for the Chivas de Guadalajara striker, according to The Telegraph.

During his debut season, Ferguson acknowledged that Hernández' move was a steal. In that campaign "Chicharito" scored 20 goals, tying Luis García's record as the Mexican player with the most goals in his first season in Europe.

This impacted Javier's market value. Today, Dutch website TranferMarkt considers that the Mexican is worth $23 million. 

However, this figure will drop quickly if Hernández stays on the bench.

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