Rotting on the bench at Manchester United, Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez procured a move to Real Madrid during the summer transfer window. One start and 149 minutes played later, the 26-year-old is still rotting away, albeit on a more desirable bench in the Spanish capital.
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That, however, hasn't done enough to derail Hernandez's optimism. The Mexican international has every intention of contributing to a historic campaign at the Santiago Bernabeu.
"I am fully concentrated on Real Madrid at the moment," he said (via the Daily Mail). "We have a big chance to have a really successful season and when you are fighting for La Liga and the Champions League, it is not sensible to concentrate on anybody else."
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But optimism aside, Hernandez understands he can ill-afford to continue recent trends.
"I am not sure what will happen in the summer yet," Hernandez added. "But whatever happens, I need guarantees. I am 26 now. In the summer, I will be 27. I must be at a club where I am going to be playing regularly."
"Wherever I am playing next season, I will make sure I have those sort of assurances."
Two of the clubs linked as potential suitors are Liverpool and Arsenal. But much like Real Madrid and Manchester United, neither club can guarantee playing time. Not with a litany of more talented strikers at their disposal.
If it's guaranteed playing time Hernandez seeks, a lower-level club must be the destination. The days of shining on the world's biggest stages have past him.
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