By DAN KARELL
The current calendar year has been one of the toughest in the career of Manchester United forward Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez.
The 25-year-old has been a part of the floundering of his national team in the last ten months and has failed to earn a regular place at Man United, making just two starts in five games played, with only one goal scored. Though the goal was an important one against Liverpool in the League Cup, Hernandez told Mexican television station Telemundo Deportes that he may have to leave to play 90 minutes on a weekly basis.
“I am working towards that – earning a spot as a starter,” Hernandez said, transcribed by the Daily Mail. “I know that my performance on the pitch will allow me to achieve that goal someday either here [in Manchester] or elsewhere for any other club. I am going on four years here [at Manchester United] and really, like I have always said, I am happy to be able to play for one of the best clubs in the world, doing my best every single day to earn more minutes on the pitch.
“I just need to be given more opportunities to showcase what I can do, because all of us want to be able to contribute our part so this team can win championships.”
Hernandez was a summer transfer target for a number of clubs in Spain, including Atletico Madrid, who eventually settled on David Villa.
Here are some more stories to get your Wednesday started:
SPAIN TO GIVE DEL BOSQUE AN EXTENSION
The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) are hoping to keep Spanish National Team head coach Vicente Del Bosque around through 2016.
If Spain takes care of business in the next week against Belarus and Georgia in World Cup qualifiers, they’ll qualify for the World Cup and Del Bosque will be given a two-year contract extension that runs through the European Championships in France in 2016.
“Del Bosque is Spanish football heritage,” RFEF General Secretary Jorge Perez told Spanish publication AS. “We have not contemplated an alternative for the position of (national team) head coach. Del Bosque will be with us as long he wants to.”
The 62-year-old head coach, who took over the side in 2008 after Spain won the European Championship, has coached 80 games for the side, the most in history for one coach. While in charge, Spain have won a World Cup title, a European Cup, and scored 197 goals to just 53 goals conceded.
WILSHERE WANTS FOREIGNERS OUT OF THREE LIONS SQUAD
For the second time in a week, Jack Wilshere has been in the center of controversy for all the wrong reasons.
The Arsenal and England National Team midfielder made headlines on Tuesday evening when he told reporters at a press conference that he didn’t believe that Manchester United midfielder Adnan Januzaj should play for England because he isn’t English. Januzaj has been the talk of England after his terrific early-season performances and the fact that he’s still uncapped, despite being currently eligible to play for his birth nation of Belgium as well as Turkey, Serbia, and Albania.
“The only people who should play for England are English people,” Wilshere told BBC Sport. “If I went to Spain and lived there for five years, I’m not going to play for Spain.”
Wilshere clarified his comments on Wednesday in a series of tweets from his official Twitter account, saying that it was a misunderstanding from the journalists and that his opinion is that foreign players shouldn’t play for England.
KLOPP ACCEPTS ADDITIONAL GAME BAN
Borussia Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp has decided against appealing an additional match suspension from UEFA.
After serving a suspension in the club’s UEFA Champions League match against Marseille, UEFA handed down an extra game suspension, which will now keep Klopp out of their match at Arsenal on October 22. Though originally considering an appeal, Klopp decided against it.
“My main motivation (in not appealing) is that I don’t want to give the impression of trivialize my own misconduct or detracting from it,” Klopp said in a statement on Borussia Dortmund’s website. “I stand by my responsibility and I accept the decision with a heavy heart.”
Klopp, who was suspended for his conduct during Borussia’s first group stage match against Napoli, has said that assistant coach Zeljko Buvac will take charge of the team against Arsenal.
QUICK KICKS
34-year-old Malaga defender Weligton has extended his contract at the club until the end of the 2014/2015 season. (REPORT)
Cardiff City owner Vincent Tan has decided to suspend and replace head of recruitment Iain Moody with a friend of Tan’s son. (REPORT)
Bayern Munich midfielder Thiago Alcantara is still at least two to three weeks away from returning to training with the club after his foot injury has been slow to heal. (REPORT)
Saint Etienne’s 18-year-old stud defender Kurt Zouma has been called up to the senior France National Team for the first time. (REPORT)
Tottenham and Belgium National Team midfielder Moussa Dembele suffered a sprained ankle in training on Tuesday, but on Wednesday head coach Marc Wilmots said that he should be fine for Friday’s match against Croatia. (REPORT)
Mamadou Sakho, a summer signing for Liverpool, has admitted that he left Paris Saint-Germain for England to return to the France side. (REPORT)
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What do you think of these reports? Do you see Hernandez leaving Man United? Do you believe Spain should keep Del Bosque after the 2014 World Cup? What do you think of Wilshere’s comments?
Share your thoughts below.