Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernández
Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernández has found playing time difficult to come by since joining Real Madrid. Reuters

Javier “Chicharito” Hernández may not have a future at either Real Madrid or Manchester United next season, but latest reports suggest he won’t be short of options in the summer. Hernández is currently on a season-long loan at Real Madrid but has found minutes on the pitch increasingly difficult to come by with the Spanish giants. While there is little to no prospect of Madrid making the deal permanent, it is also believed that parent club Manchester United intend to cash in on the Mexico striker once he returns and enters the final year of his Old Trafford contract.

The central question now is which club the 26-year-old will be joining ahead of next season. According to the Daily Star, Hernández has a number of clubs from across Europe interested in securing his signature. Some appear far likelier destinations than others.

At the more far-fetched end of the scale is the rumor that Bayern Munich are keen on bringing him to Germany. As well as being one of Europe’s biggest clubs with almost their pick of talent, it is difficult to see how Hernández’s penalty-box poaching style would fit into a Pep Guardiola team, which centers around players able to contribute to more phases of the game. Even if Hernández were to move to Bayern, he would be a long way short of being guaranteed a first-team place. While he has revealed little about his future plans, Hernández made it clear late last year that being at a club where he had assurances over regular playing time was paramount.

Hernández has started just once for Real Madrid in La Liga this season, having made just 15 starts in the Premier League for Manchester United over the previous two campaigns. Still, his goal-scoring record will encourage many a prominent club to take a keen interest in his availability. Roma and Lazio, once again, are said to be on his trail and would present intriguing situations in Italy’s Serie A. Although Roma just signed a speedy forward in the shape of Ivorian Seydou Doumbia, Lazio could have a vacancy with the likely departure of German veteran Miroslav Klose this summer.

But Hernández could be set for a stay in England, with West Ham, Tottenham and Everton all reported by the Daily Star to be keen. Tottenham have long been seen as a potential destination, and there would appear to be an impending gap pr two in their squad upfront with the futures of both Emanuel Adebayor and Roberto Soldado highly doubtful. He may, though, have to play second fiddle to Harry Kane, while he would also struggle to offer the intense-pressing focal point that Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino likes from his strikers.

A move to West Ham would be a surprise, given they now have a wealth of striking options in the form of Andy Carroll, Diafra Sakho and Enner Valencia. Everton certainly lack depth up front following the departure of Samuel Eto’o in January, but Hernández would likely struggle to dislodge the club’s record signing Romelu Lukaku in manger Roberto Martinez’s lone-striker formation.

For the time being, Hernández is likely to continue to have to settle for appearances off the bench for Real Madrid, as he did in their 4-0 defeat to Atlético Madrid on Saturday. That won’t give him much of a chance to further impress potential suitors, nor will it provide ideal preparation for either the Gold Cup or the Copa America, one of which he is almost certain to be involved in with Mexico this summer. But the right next move and there is reason to think Hernández can get back to the deadly form he showed when he first arrived at Manchester United in 2010.

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