West Ham star Javier Hernandez puts January escape plan on hold as Felipe Anderson partnership blossoms

BLossoming relationship: Felipe Anderson and Javier Hernandez
Getty Images
Ken Dyer4 December 2018

A few days before he scored two goals in Saturday’s 3-0 win at Newcastle, Javier Hernandez was talking pointedly about an “exit door”, possibly as early as next month.

If the man they call ‘Little Pea’ or ‘Chicharito’, scores again on Tuesday against Cardiff — and keeps developing a blossoming playing relationship with team-mate Felipe Anderson — then both the Mexico striker and his club will be happy to close that door and throw away the key.

Anderson’s ability to thread a pass through a packed defence, plus Hernandez’s skill at finding space in crowded penalty areas, could mean West Ham are about to move up the Premier League table to a position more in keeping with their £100million summer outlay.

Add the power and pace of Marko Arnautovic to the mix and West Ham fans have every right to feel more optimistic than after the first four games of the season ended in defeats.

Hernandez’s scoring ability has never been in doubt. A total of 50 goals in 106 internationals for Mexico, 37 in 103 for Manchester United and 28 in 54 for Bayer Leverkusen says it all.

West Ham squad 2019-20 | Injuries, contracts and squad numbers

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For West Ham, though, the 30-year-old has yet to fire consistently. Since he signed for £16.2m in the summer of 2017, he has rarely had a run in the team.

Injuries and illness have been one factor, while West Ham’s inconsistency and managerial changes have not helped.

In a recent interview with Spanish newspaper Marca, Hernandez spoke of his dilemma when he said: “I want to play, to participate as much as possible, and I have the ability to win a place, but I need to respect the decisions being taken and, for that reason, I am not closing the door on moving this winter.

“There is an exit door and another in the summer. I’m happy here but I want to play more. I am not ruling it out but it needs to be for a top club and that is the case now or in the summer.”

Hernandez’s salary, thought to be around £145,000 per week, is another consideration, especially when he is not a regular in the team.

Under Manuel Pellegrini, Hernandez looks certain to be handed more game-time, especially if he continues to link so well with Brazilian Anderson (both right), himself looking more at home with every game.

In Pictures | Newcastle vs West Ham | 01/12/2018

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“I spoke with Javier and the club at the beginning of the season,” said Pellegrini. “Whenever I am asked if he can leave, I repeat the same answer: he is a very important player for us. He hasn’t played more for us because he was out for more than a month with illness (glandular fever).

“It was very difficult for him to recover his best shape, but easy to pick up muscle injuries, so we started giving him the minutes he deserved in every game.

“Now he has the option to start and form is very important. He is in good shape and scored two goals at the weekend. Now the future will depend on him.

“Most of the teams I have managed have had two strikers. With Marko Arnautovic in the team as well, we need a box player — and Javier is one of those.”

At the double: Javier Hernandez
Action Images via Reuters

Pellegrini would surely have liked to have kept an unchanged team for Tuesday's match, but a hamstring injury to Aaron Cresswell means that Arthur Masuaku is likely to replace him at left-back.

West Ham will also leave it late before deciding whether Fabian Balbuena has recovered from a knock, otherwise his place in central defence will be taken by Angelo Ogbonna.

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