Striker critical of previous clubs
Javier Hernandez has said he was not given enough chances to shine at Manchester United and Real Madrid.
The Bayer Leverkusen striker scored 17 goals in 28 league appearances to help guide the German club to third place in the Bundesliga and secure a spot in next season’s Champions League. He left United last season after spending the 2014/15 season on loan at Real.
“We all know the history of United and Real – European Cups, fighting for everything – but now I’m with the third-best team in the Bundesliga,” he says.
“If I’d had more chances at United or Real, I’d probably have been ‘the star’ there as well – we’ll never know. I didn’t have the chance. I never had the chance to play 20 games in a row so people could say: ‘He’s a good player who should stay’ or ‘He can’t be the star – he’s not a good player’.
“Ask the United fans. The numbers are there. I started only 85 games at United and I scored 60 goals [in total]. At Real, I started just 12 games and scored nine goals. At Leverkusen I’ve started 37 games and I have 26 goals. The difference is that Leverkusen want me on the pitch. The others didn’t.”
Hernandez scored the winner in Mexico’s 1-0 friendly win over Chile in the team’s final warm-up game ahead of the Copa America Centenario, which starts on Friday.
By Ben Kelly – @benkelly_10
