Andy Cole thinks Ole Gunnar Solskjaer can be the inspiration that gets Javier Hernandez firing again.
Hernandez has failed to match the heights of his first season, scoring 20 goals as United won the league and reached the Champions League finals, and now in his 3rd term has yet to find that spark to kick start his season.
The addition of Robin Van Persie as well as competition for the usuals in Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck adds further pressure, but Cole thinks Chicharito can come good as he told the MEN:
“Chicharito has to accept the challenge and be patient because that is the only way forward, just as Ole showed.
“It is a challenge for everyone in the United squad. Everyone has their own battles when you have so much competition.
“I was the fortunate one in that era because I was first-choice with Dwight Yorke and we were scoring a lot of goals together. But Ole got his head down and worked and it came right. I know what Chicharito is going through because something similar happened to me.
“After joining Newcastle from Bristol City I scored goals and then we were promoted to the Premier League. In my first season at that level I scored 34 league goals and 41 in all competitions.
“After that season people were saying watch out for second-season syndrome and all that and I just shrugged and said, ‘Yeah whatever!’
“But then you realise they were talking sense and were dead right. The second campaign it was a lot harder. You maybe stop doing things you were good at, opponents also get to know how to stop you.
“From an unknown you have suddenly become a player they will do their homework on and will know everything you did the previous season. It can be tough going. But you have to work your way through it. Chicharito will have found last year that opponents had wised up to him. They knew what to expect.”
One thing Hernandez will definitely need to work on is beating the offside trap, but Cole feels it may be a case of anxiety for the Mexican hitman:
“When you are anxious to score goals again and impress you tend to make your runs too early.
“When you are on the shoulder of the defender and have his speed you just have to hang back and make your runs slightly deeper and bend the run.
“That will come as he works his way through the challenge. He will get there because he is quality just like Ole was.”
