Manchester United's newest signing, Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez, has been likened to that of a legend, but hopefully they do not play the same role.
Both Sir Alex Ferguson and Paul Scholes have recently said that Chicharito has the natural goal scoring ability of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but let's hope for the player's sake that is where the similarities end.
Many players could not do what Solskjaer did at United, because the Baby-faced Assassin had an amazing ability to come off the subs' bench cold as ice and be able to stick one in the goal - or four.
Solskjaer scored the majority of his 126 goals for the club off the bench, which if Hernandez reaches that total of goals, he will earn himself a place in the hearts of the Old Trafford faithful.
Chicharito, who came on as a substitute at half-time during the FA Community Shield against Chelsea, scored a very uncharacteristic goal of a natural finisher.
The young Mexican somehow mishit his shot from three-yards out, but fortunately for him that he had luck on his side and the ball went in the net off his face.
Hernandez's goal celebration did, however, match two of the Norwegian's most crucial goals he scored during his 11 seasons at Old Trafford.
Chicharito peeled away with his arms spread wide open like an eagle which matched Solskjaer's celebration following his injury-time winner against Bayern Munich in the 1999 UEFA Champions League final, and then he finished it off with a kiss on the badge just like Solskjaer did after scoring the winning goal in the FA Cup against Liverpool, which let the supporters know that, like Ole, he is 100% committed to the club.
The last part is precisely why Solskjaer is still revered as a cult hero, because, despite growing up a Liverpool fan, he gave United his complete devotion - its just a shame that injuries prematurely ended his career at Old Trafford.
People can - and will - compare and contrast players all day long, but in the end, its quite unfair to compare a 22-year old kid to a legend.
With time Javier Hernandez could become a hit for Manchester United, but the supporters, pundits and critics need to give this wonderkid time to settle in, so he can eventually fulfill his potential.
Contributed by David Hammons / United View From Abroad
1 comment:
Good writeup David, I agree. I just think alot of us are so excited at the possibilities that we get way ahead of ourselves. Chicharito still has to prove himself, but I think we can all agree he seems to be making himself comfortable quite quickly...
-Omar
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