Football Wonderkid Scout

 Manchester United's Javier Hernandez

MUTV." All the impressions I have of the club are good and Sir Alex Ferguson is a great person, maybe the best coach in the world." No Mexican has ever played for United before and Hernandez has paid tribute to Chivas for the part they have played in his development. "I am very thankful to Chivas for giving me this chance and of course that I am thankful to the president for all this that is happening to me," he said. "I also want to thank my country, (Jorge) Vergara and Angelica Fuentes because they trust in the young Mexican football players." Chivas president Vergara also spoke of his delight at the move, with part of the deal seeing United play a match at the Mexican club's new stadium in pre-season. "I am personally very proud to have the chance to be with Sir Alex Ferguson," Vergara told Mediotiempo. "This is something historical for Mexican football. The fact that Manchester United and Alex Ferguson, one of the best coaches in the world, eyed a player from Mexico makes us very proud. "This transfer marks the start of a relationship with Manchester United. We know that this is only the beginning of a lot of success."

Sir Alex Ferguson was quick to act and announced the signing of £10m Hernández, after Manchester United went out to Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter finals. His move was prompted by fears of the deal being hijacked by one of the big Spainish clubs and asked for the transfer to be conduction with complete discretion. Tomas Balcazar, Hernández's grandfather and Mexico international who played in the 1954 World Cup, was told he was going on a trip to Atlanta in the United States only to discover the day before that the real destination was Old Trafford. " Ferguson wanted to meet with us so me and my family went to have lunch with him,” Hernandez said. “I know why he’s been able to be so successful because he is just a really straightforward person. "He’s an extraordinary man - he makes such an impact on you and it is not just because of his accomplishments but because of the kind of person he is. We talked about football, he told us a few stories you know, but otherwise we did not talk about much." Manchester United's scouting network first came accross Hernández when he was playing for the Mexico Under 17 five years ago. However, it was perhaps the attention drawn by former Mexican international Marco Garces that the Old Trafford outfit followed his progress more closlely. While studying for a sports science degree in Liverpool, Garces became friends with the Manchester United chief scout Jim Lawlor and was asked to recommend Mexican players, with Hernández's name being mentioned. Before linking up with his new club, Hernández is hoping to play a part of Mexico's World Cup campaign in South Africa. The wonderkid who has scored 10 goals in 8 eight games for his club, also has four goals in four games at international level. He made his international debut for Mexico in a friendly against Colombia on 30 September 2009, creating a goal in his side's 2-1 defeat. On February 24 2010, Hernández scored his first goals for Mexico in a friendly against Bolivia, scoring twice and setting up Braulio Luna in Mexico's 5-0 victory. On March 3 2010, Hernández scored a header against New Zealand in front of a host of scouts closely watching the precocious talent. He added his fourth international goal for Mexico in a 2-1 win over North Korea on March 17, 2010. He will now be hoping to feature and play his part in a World Cup warm-up match on May 24 when Mexico take on England at Wembley.

Javier Hernandez's signing is to help the goalscoring burden on Wayne Rooney at Manchester United and is a clear sign of the new direction Sir Alex Ferguson is taking, to re-shape his ageing squad. The signing also seems to signal the end of the affair for Dimitar Berbatov, who is now expected to move on in the summer. The coup is seen as the perfect lift after the clubs disastrous exit in the Champions League. He will sign on the dotted line on July 1, if he qualifies for a work permit, which looks to be a formality. Hernandez made his debut for Chivas in 2006, after coming through the ranks as a schoolboy. He had initially joined when he was just 9 years old. Over the next two years, he played 64 times for C.D. Guadalajara, scoring an impressive 28 times in a league known for its toughness. After impressing in the senior ranks, he was picked for Mexico's U-21's, but was fast-tracked into the national side after just five games. How the slightly built youngster will take to the English game is anyone's guess. Manchester United have a track record for developing high calibre young players, and are one of the few teams that actually look after their players once they leave the confines of their training ground. He has been described as an excellent player to lead the line, and many pundits in Mexico have likened him to a young Carlos Tevez. At 5"7', he lacks the height needed to be a target-man in the Premier League, but he is deceptively strong, has a very good first touch, and is lethal around the box when given half a chance.