Javier Hern�ndez has turned out to be the bargain of the season and a tribute to Manchester United's scouting network
Sir Alex Ferguson caused something of a stir at the start of the season when he accused some of his Premier League rivals of "kamikaze spending", by which he meant clubs using money to gain attention and demonstrate ambition, even though the players they were buying were absurdly overpriced.
Manchester City seemed his most obvious target, although Chelsea reverted to type in January, but Ferguson actually made the remark while introducing the three players Manchester United had bought in the summer for a total of �20m. Fair enough, B�b� is struggling to make an impression, but Chris Smalling looks a good buy and Javier Hern�ndez, in comparison with Fernando Torres and Edin Dzeko or any of the other mega-money acquisitions who have not quite been scoring for fun of late, is quite rightly being billed as the snip of the season at �6m. Hern�ndez's 19 goals to date have helped propel his side to the verge of another domestic title and a third Champions League final in four years, so Ferguson must be delighted with his spot of business.
"The boy has been a revelation," the United manager said. "We always knew he was good, because the reports we had back when we scouted him in Mexico were fantastic and we had also seen him on video, but we didn't know he would adapt so well or make his mark so quickly. He was only 21 when we signed him and we thought he was bound to need some time to settle in. Any young player coming to a new country normally takes a while to get used to the way of life, a different league and a different climate, especially someone from Mexico. But as you have seen, Chicharito fitted in straight away. He's got terrific attitude as well as ability. I can't speak highly enough of him. He has met every challenge he has been offered."
United became aware of Hern�ndez in October 2009, when a scout followed up a tip-off. They initially planned to wait a few months to see how things developed but were forced to act more quickly when the player's almost instant adoption by the Mexico national team made it likely he would appear in last summer's World Cup. "If he did well in South Africa we knew we ran the risk of losing him," Ferguson explained. "So we sent Jim Lawlor, our chief scout, out to Mexico for three weeks to get a good look. In that time Chicharito played twice for the national team as well as for Guadalajara, and he scored in every game. Jim filed a fantastic report on the boy, and after that we just knew we had to do the business. It was really good work by Jim and his scouting network but we also had the club president in Mexico to thank. Once we made contact he was in on the deal from the start but he kept it to himself until we were ready to announce it. We were grateful for that."
United's announcement came in April last year but went almost unnoticed in the general disappointment of going out of Europe to Bayern Munich a few days earlier. The transfer was made official on 1 July, by which stage United supporters knew from the way the striker took his goals against France and Argentina that they had an exciting prospect in store.
It remains to be seen just how exciting Little Pea's first season in England ends up, though just like his figures of 14 goals in 23 appearances for Mexico, his 19 United goals to date already add up to instant success. United being United, however, he is not guaranteed a place against Arsenal on Sunday or Schalke on Wednesday. Ferguson is juggling his resources, and Hern�ndez may appear in one game but not the other. "You have to rest players and pick your teams carefully at this stage of the season," the United manager said. "It's something we have always done. People forget now, but when we played Arsenal in the FA Cup semi-final replay in 1999 I rested five top players, because that's what I thought I had to do. Everyone remembers the Ryan Giggs goal, but he only came on as a substitute."
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/may/01/manchester-united-javier-hernandez
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