Search icon

Football

05th Feb 2016

Javier Hernandez reveals he wasn’t happy to play the Solskjaer role under Louis van Gaal

The baby faced little pea

Darragh Murphy

Javier Hernandez bore more than a few resemblances to Manchester United legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Lethal finishers, likely to nab a late goal off the bench, look about 12. It’s a pretty comprehensive list.

And while both spent most of their time parked on the Old Trafford bench, there was a distinct difference in how both strikers coped with that fact.

Solskjaer spent eleven years with Manchester United where he scored 29 of his 126 United goals after coming on as a substitute but Hernandez was not content to play that role.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

“I think he [Ole] was happy with that role,” Hernandez said in an interview with The Times.

“People thought I was, too, but I wasn’t. I was not happy being on the bench.”

Chicharito, who has recently been named the Bundesliga Player of the Month for the third consecutive time, also broke down the circumstances that saw him part ways Louis van Gaal in the summer.

“In the first few weeks, he spoke to me and said he saw a good future, that I would have more chances than normal. It made me feel I could play. But then, after the start of the season, he told me he was thinking Wazza would be his No 1.

Manchester United v Aston Villa - Premier League

“He said I would be No 2, but that the reality was that if Wazza got injured or was out for any reason, when he came back he would play [no matter how well I had done].

“It was 99 per cent likely I would not be first choice.

“He was clear. That was his idea, and we have to be respectful of that. We decided that if a good offer came, I would take it.”

And it’s clear to see who came off best in that decision.

WATCH: Liverpool BOTTLED the title race 🤬 | Who will win the Premier League?