Rohan Sengupta
Manchester United have enquired about the possibility of re-signing Javier Hernandez as Jose Mourinho looks to bolster his strike force, according to several reports. The Red Devils are on the lookout for attacking reinforcements this month as Mourinho looks to give his team the best possible chance of catching Manchester City in the race for the title.
According to Telegraph, Hernandez is among a number of targets United have been looking at in the January transfer window. The same report states that 20-time English champions have also made initial enquiries about the likes of Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy and Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez as Mourinho seeks his first January signing.
With Zlatan Ibrahimovic suffering further problems after his return from a cruciate ligament injury, United are in desperate need of a backup for Romelu Lukaku. Mourinho prefers Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial as wingers which leave him with what he considers as a shortage of options in the central role.
Hernandez was sold by Manchester United to Bayer Leverkusen back in 2015 when Louis van Gaal was in charge of the club. However, Mourinho, who has admitted that he would not have allowed the Mexican to leave Old Trafford, could be ready to act.
Hernandez endured a miserable time under David Moyes when the Scot was the manager of Manchester United and many doubted whether the two could make it work at West Ham. A hamstring injury resulted in Moyes exploring other options and it’s now been reported that West Ham are ready to listen to offers for the 29-year-old, who arrived in the summer from Bayer Leverkusen.
West Ham are open for negotiations but there is one condition that must be met before they decide to sell. The Londoners say that Hernandez, who cost the club £16m in the summer, would be sold if the club are able to recuperate their money back.
It remains to be seen whether United and executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward would be prepared to sanction that kind of fee for a 29-year-old with no sell-on value. Despite the speculation, Moyes heaped praise on the Mexican striker, suggesting that their relationship isn’t as sour as it appears.
“Chicharito is a really good player and his finishing ability is as good as there is anywhere,” Moyes said, as reported by Goal.
“He thrives on balls in the box and maybe in a lot of games we’ve not had that service to give him. We’ve got players like Chicharito who need supplying in the box.”
Wouldn’t it be wise to invest money on a younger forward rather bring ‘Chicharito’ back to the Theatre of Dreams?
