Arsenal pride themselves on the acquisition of young players from all over the world, in the hope of moulding them into Barclays Premier League stars of the highest quality. Kolo Toure is one example of how an obscure player, signed for a small fee, has developed into an excellent footballer. At 21, he signed for the relatively cheap amount of £150,000 in 2002 from his Ivorian club, ASEC Mimosas, and subsequently became one of the most recognised centre backs in Europe for his technical and physical prowess as a defender and role in the Gunners' 'Invincible' season of 2003/4. Arsene Wenger is masterful at times at moulding potential into the finished product, but after Manchester United's 2-1 win over Marseille in the Champions League last night, he may be cursing having missed out on one such gem.
Javier Hernández, now known almost universally as Chicharito, the 'Little Pea', is rapidly travelling upon a similar road taken by Toure and many others who have come seemingly out of nowhere to make a huge impact upon the clubs they sign for. He scored two goals at Old Trafford as United knocked out the French champions after two legs of their last 16 encounter. Sir Alex Ferguson was quite right in swooping for the 22-year-old Mexican striker in April, before the World Cup, during which Hernandez proved his scoring capabilities against established world powers such as France and Argentina. He was signed from Chivas de Guadalajara for around £7 million, considerably higher than Arsenal paid for Toure but understandable considering that the world's economy isn't in the best of health, and football transfer fees are, for the most part, hugely inflated nowadays. His transfer value has undoubtedly skyrocketed following his performances in South Africa, but more importantly during United's season - a season in which he has scored 16 goals in just 17 starts for the club. In this respect, £7 million appears more of a bargain by the day. Stood alongside the yet to score Fernando Torres, whom Chelsea bought for over seven times that amount, Ferguson has probably had a quiet chuckle to himself.
The Mexican's scoring ratio after his 33 appearances this season is about one every two games, remarkable for a player who has needed to adapt to the increased quality of English football, and who has made most of his impact as a substitute. The 'super-sub' factor has lead to inevitable comparisons with the most famous one of them all - Ole Gunnar Solsksjaer (type into Youtube 'champions league final 1999' if you need reminding).
It is not just the substitute role that has ignited the discussion. The two possess extremely similar qualities. Hernández is quick, if not quicker than the Norwegian was. His movement is terrific in the penalty area, he is adept at timing his runs behind the opposition to perfection, and as a finisher, he has the gift of the natural goalscorer, not unlike, for instance, Liverpool FC's great Robbie Fowler. Believers of fate may even point out that Hernandez looks much younger than he is. Solskjaer was called the 'baby-faced assassin' for the same reason - surely a sign that the phenomenon has returned to the Theatre of Dreams. The two goals Hernández scored last night were tap-ins from within the six-yard-box, bringing to mind the phrase 'in the right place at the right time'. He certainly is at the right place, and should his talent help United to more silverware in the years to come, the time will be right as well. Not for Arsene Wenger, though.
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