Why Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez can be West Ham's baby-faced assassin

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Tom Doyle25 July 2017

For a man with movie star looks, Javier Hernandez must still prove he is a genuine leading man in the Premier League.

West Ham's new £16million striker has played for both Manchester United and Real Madrid, is the top goalscorer in Mexico's history, and has starred for Bayer Leverkusen for the last two seasons, but even his nickname hints a player waiting in the wings.

Hernandez is affectionately known as 'Chicharito' - the 'Little Pea' to green-eyed father and former El Tri international Javier 'Chicaro' Hernandez - not exactly a moniker to induce fear in defenders' hearts.

But in a bloated transfer market where Manchester United have paid north of £75million for a regular goalscorer Romelu Lukaku, the 29-year-old may just prove to be the rarest of things - value for money.

Hernandez now has the first-choice Premier League role he always craved at Old Trafford, and the chance to prove he can be more than just a super sub to Europe's elite.

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Jose Mourinho admitted that if he been United boss instead of Louis van Gaal in 2015, Chicharito would not have been sold - a fair point given that for for all of Zlatan Ibrahimovic's 28 goals last season, the Red Devils badly lacked a poacher as they laboured to sixth with 10 home draws.

Mourinho will see Hernandez in action in United's first game of the season as the Hammers make the trip north to Old Trafford on August 13, with the striker due to make his Hammers bow in front of what will be a hugely appreciative United crowd.

Chicharito appeared to be the perfect signing for Sir Alex Ferguson's squad back in 2010, winning the coveted Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award from the United fans as he scored 20 goals in all competitions in his debut United season.

He was a striking cliche - always in the right place at the right time - with his first competitive goal for the club a comical Charity Shield effort he somehow scuffed off his own chest into the net while falling over.

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The south American's infectious enthusiasm and million-dollar smile were the icing on the cake for the merchandising money-making machine United were becoming.

But his open manner also helped to mask a true predatory instinct, more six-yard shark than fox in the box as he flashed defenders a set of pearly whites before ghosting away to celebrate a scuffed finish.

A natural poacher with a knack for the odd surprise, his stunning backwards header against Stoke in 2010 lives long in the memory for many a United supporter.

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For the Old Trafford faithful, it was the second coming of the 'Baby-Faced Assassin' Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. But while Solskjaer was content with his role as a United super sub - with a 1999 Champions League Final-winning goal from the bench defining his career - Hernandez needed more, and was left disappointed.

He never bettered his first-season tally at United, and netted just four league goals during David Moyes' ill-fated 2013-14 spell.

The forward's trademark beaming smile turned to a scowl as he struggled for minutes and goals, and a loan move to Real Madrid worked for all parties in 2014.

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Hernandez again faltered at the Bernabeu as he failed to displace Real's Galacticos. Despite a decent run-in and public pleas for a permanent home, Hernandez failed to convince Los Blancos he was the real deal.

His exit from United and unsuccessful push for a Madrid move suggested that in the eyes of football's ruthless elite, he a player that they can afford to live without.

Hernandez wins fans and helps to boost shirt sales, but as James Rodriguez also found out at Madrid, he has the air of the boy-next-door you'd gladly see marry into your family - one to love, not to fear.

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He returned to Old Trafford in the summer of 2015, and was duly sold to Bayer Leverkusen for around £7m - a steal given the rapidly inflating transfer market, and a move which kickstarted his career.

Hernandez left the Solskjaer super-sub tag behind at Leverkusen, netting 17 Bundesliga goals and 26 in total for Leverkusen - his highest ever tally for a single campaign.

He hit another 11 in 2016-17 but Leverkusen limped to a 12th-placed finish. If a move to east London initially appears to be a step down, the summer exits of Hakan Calhanoglu, Omer Topak and Kyriakos Papadopolous suggest Hernandez is getting out before things become terminal at the BayArena.

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That has allowed West Ham to make their move and finally land the reliable striker they have needed for years.

In Slaven Bilic, Hernandez will have the right manager. Chicharito responds well to an Fergie-esque arm around the shoulder, so it was no surprise to see him exit Old Trafford soon after Van Gaal and Ryan Giggs' infamous knowing stare following a penalty miss against Club Brugge in 2015.

AFP/Getty Images

Mourinho's suggestion that Bilic's men are potential title rivals may prove to be a little far-fetched, but Hernandez said he was "desperate" to join the club after seeing their ambitious transfer moves this summer.

Following on from Pablo Zabaleta, Joe Hart and Marko Arnautovic, Hernandez is yet another astute signing as West Ham seek to reshape their identity as another 'historic' club reliving past glories.

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The Hammers have had problems settling in at London Stadium, but Chicharito will boost the club's profile in the US and South America while offering match-going fans a thrilling presence to boost the atmosphere - and an outlet for the likes of Manuel Lanzini, Arnautovic and Michail Antonio.

The partnership is also one that West Ham and Hernandez both crucially need. Many players and coaches rightly welcome the adoration of fans, but the elite need to be loathed - Cristiano Ronaldo thrived on the whistles of the English crowds as it confirmed him as the most dangerous man on the pitch.

There is a well-known Manchester United fan banner on display at games which reads: "Hated, adored, never ignored". For too long West Ham - like Hernandez - have been adored by a vocal fanbase, but too easy to ignore in the wider game.

A match-winner for Chicharito at Old Trafford would help the Little Pea and his new club earn a little more of that much-needed hatred.

West Ham United via Getty Images

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