Why Javier Hernandez Should Not Be Given Chance by Manchester United Next Season

Javier Hernandez has been missed by Manchester United in the season just gone. However, though absence may have made the heart grow fonder, Louis van Gaal should look elsewhere to solve United's goal problem.

This would change if Hernandez were truly comfortable playing a squad role. However, Chicharito was evidently frustrated by his bit-part role during David Moyes' time in charge. It seems unlikely that the Mexican will be happy to return to United if he is not cast as a leading man.

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None of his past three managers have chosen to give him the spotlight all that often. He played more games than anyone expected during his first season under Sir Alex Ferguson. He has not played as many minutes in a league season since.

The following season saw a similar level of involvement and 18 starts, his most for United. However, in the summer after it became clear that Sir Alex did not believe Hernandez to be a player that success could be built around when he invested heavily in the acquisition of Robin van Persie.

With that, Hernandez was pushed down the pecking order and never recovered his position.

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He still scored with very decent frequency, when called upon. In Sir Alex's final season, Hernandez averaged a goal just under every 95 minutes of league football he played, making him a remarkably useful squad player. 

This did not continue when Moyes took charge. One of the knocks against Ferguson's successor was his inexperience with squad rotation, and Chicharito cut a forlorn figure as he was isolated ever-further from the squad.

Posts on social media hinted at unrest. Ahead of a Mexico friendly he told Record (h/t ESPN.co.uk) "I am very eager to play as my club don't take me much into account. I hope I have the opportunity to play."

All of this made his choice of loan destination seem odd. Of course, the glamour of Real Madrid is hard to argue against, but he must have known he would be destined for another season on the sidelines. That is, of course, what came to pass—though he certainly had his moments.

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Which brings us to today. The truth is that while United have a striker on the books whose goal-per-minute return has always been good, and a need to add goals, Hernandez is not a good fit for Van Gaal's side.

Assuming Van Gaal is looking to play 4-3-3 again next season, with two attack-minded midfielders and two wide-forwards, the centre-forward's job will not just be to get on the end of chances. As Wayne Rooney said to Gary Neville on Sky Sports of the No. 9 role under Van Gaal: 

"

I think it's a more disciplined role. The manager, actually, when he spoke to me about how he wants me to play up front, he went back to when he was manager at Bayern Munich and the striker was averaging ten touches a game, but then he said "but he was scoring two goals a game." So I was like "no pressure then, two goals in ten touches."

"

While Hernandez is well-suited to the latter part of that—scoring goals from relatively minimal touches—he is much less well-suited to the all-round demands of the role.

He is also unproven as the main man. This feels a slightly unfair knock against him given that—since arriving in Europe—he has never been given a chance to prove his worth in that role.

However, this would not seem to be the time for a big gamble, and given that neither Ferguson nor Carlo Ancelotti were prepared to take it, neither should Van Gaal.

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If Hernandez is happy to take a back seat, and chip in with goals from the bench or in a rotation role then he is certainly worth having around. If, however, he is looking to be an integral part of a first XI, then both he and United should look elsewhere.

All advanced statistics per WhoScored.com