Tottenham wanted to sign Javier Hernandez but Andre Villas-Boas could not convince him to leave Manchester United

West Ham star | But Hernandez could have been playing for their rivals
REUTERS
James Benge28 February 2018

Former Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas has revealed he came close to signing Javier Hernandez when the West Ham striker was at Manchester United.

The Mexican forward was predominantly confined to the role of impact substitute during his five-year stint in Manchester, though he performed his role with some aplomb, scoring 59 goals in 157 appearances.

However Louis van Goal opted to dispense with Hernandez, who would then go on to star at Bayer Leverkusen before joining West Ham last summer.

However during Hernandez’s final years at Old Trafford Villas-Boas tried to bring him first to Tottenham and then to Russian giants Zenit Saint Petersburg, only for the striker to stay and fight for his place in the Red Devils set up.

"I was close to signing Chicharito, I still have a very good relationship with him," Villas-Boas told ESPN.

"He always said: 'Coach, I'm going to fight for my position [at United] and I'll fight until the end.'

"I told him that he should give me an opportunity that he should come, but no. He believed in himself a lot and that also excited me.

"In the end we weren't able to come to an agreement.”

After a slow start at West Ham that led to interest from MLS sides Hernandez has enjoyed an encouraging run of form, scoring three goals and laying on an assist in his last five Premier League matches.

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