Hugo Sánchez backs Javier Hernández to succeed at Real Madrid

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/sep/22/javier-hernandez-real-madrid-hugo-sanchez

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The former Mexico striker Hugo Sánchez has backed his compatriot Javier Hernández to be a success in Spain after the on-loan Manchester United striker scored twice in Real Madrid’s 8-2 victory over Deportivo La Coruña on Saturday.

Hernández – who has moved to the Santiago Bernebeu on a season-long loan from Old Trafford – replaced Gareth Bale in the 77th minute of the match with Real already leading 5-1. The 26-year-old scored twice late on to round off a comprehensive victory for Carlo Ancelotti’s European champions and now Sánchez, who spent seven years at Madrid, expects him to build on his strong start.

“He’s a phenomenon. He’s very fast, intuitive, with quick movements and a great finisher with left, right and his head. He’s a goalscorer who gets ahead of his rival and reads the play well. The only thing he needs to do is to convince Ancelotti, with games like the one in Riazor,” Sánchez told the Spanish newspaper AS.

“With goals comes confidence. When he gets more time and more opportunities, hopefully his numbers will be what’s required at Madrid. This team creates a lot of goal scoring chances and that’s going to help Chicharito.

Asked whether he was surprised to see Hernández leave Old Trafford for Madrid, Sánchez added: “Yes, I was surprised. Everyone was taken aback, except Madrid, who are used to tracking the players they are thinking about signing.

“[At United] he didn’t play much, but with Ferguson he was more active. That change affects you, as does whether the coach has faith in you, it can give you confidence or not. I hope Chicharito convinces Ancelotti and gets enough time on the pitch to show his quality at Madrid.”