Tweetarito: Moyes should start Hernandez despite his cheeky retweet

It’s funny what social media can do. When Javier Hernandez took to Twitter this weekend and retweeted an article published on Sky Sports regarding his future, the Mexican couldn’t have envisaged the vast amount of abuse that got hurled at him. Or could he?

The 25-year-old’s name has been bandied about over the last few months in relation to him making an exit from Old Trafford as Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooneykeep him welded to the bench, but after grabbing the winner against Stoke in his last outing and with United preparing for their Champions League clash against the bottom-of-the-group Real Sociedad, would it be wise for Moyes to unleash Chicharito against the La Liga side?

It’s easy to pick holes in Hernandez’s game. He’s not the type of forward who will hold the ball up for you or invite others into the game with his ball retention, nor is he the best at dropping deep and linking the midfield to the attack, but Hernandez was bought to score goals, and that’s exactly what he does.

Hernandez’s league goals in 2012/13

Considering his overall game time in a United shirt, his 54 goals in 125 appearances is nothing short of remarkable. Having played just 945 minutes of Premier League football last season, Hernandez scored 10 goals – which is the same amount as Liverpool’s Daniel Sturridge, who scored 10 in 1088 minutes for the Reds.

This season has been a frustrating one for the North American. The aforementioned goal against Stoke was his first of the season in the league from four appearances, but he has netted another two in his League Cup games.

Moyes gave Hernandez the nod in United’s reverse clash with Sociedad a fortnight ago, but a less than impressive display from the home side saw Hernandez drop deeper than usual to get involved with the play and his effectiveness therefore vanished. He failed to have a shot and was completely dominated in the air before being replaced with Ashley Young in the closing stages of the game.

However, digging deeper into the Sociedad defence shows that la Real are vulnerable to shots inside the box. From the 49 goals they conceded last term in the Spanish topflight, 45 of them came from inside the 18-yard box, and they have continued similarly this season, with 11 out of 12 of their conceded goals being scored from inside the area.

Hernandez has proved himself to be one of the most natural finishers in European football since he arrived from Guadalajara in 2010 and he will be licking his lips in anticipation for a run out against a shaky defence.

Sociedad have conceded five goals in three games so far in this season’s Champions League, and if Hernandez is unleashed on Tuesday afternoon, with the creative unit behind him doing their jobs you can count on Claudio Bravo‘s goal taking another battering.