OPINION
West Ham United striker Javier Hernandez knows full well what it is like to be on the sidelines when one of your teammates is the favourite.
That has been the case for a while now, with Marko Arnautovic being Manuel Pellegrini’s preferred choice up front, and rightly so – the Mexican international had been firing blanks for a while, so it is no surprise that the manager opted to have the 29-year-old leading the line.
However, ever since rumours circulated about the Austrian’s possible move to China in the January window, Arnautovic has somewhat declined in form, meaning that Pellegrini’s starting XI is not as clear cut anymore.
Andy Carroll was thrown in against Manchester City but to little effect whatsover, which left Hernandez to step up to the plate and take responsibility for his performances.
While he was not firing on all cylinders against Newcastle and looked rather isolated at times this is due to near on no support – the 30-year-old proved to be rather effective up front by himself, something which would no doubt have impressed and surprised Pellegrini.
He knows he cannot be relying on Arnautovic to produce magic every time he plays, and when Hernandez performs like this, it is something which he surely welcomes with open arms.
Nevertheless, what it does provide Pellegrini with is a selection headache, as both players have demonstrated that they are capable of leading the line by themselves.
So who does Pellegrini choose? The two players have shown in the past that they can be worth their weight in gold, something which has certainly caused the manager to have a dilemma.
Hernandez now needs to prove that he can score regular goals, because if he can do that, the star will surely start ahead of his teammate.
Either way, Pellegrini now has a major headache on his hands after Hernandez surprised with his display on Saturday.
