Chicharito’s derby challenge

It’s official. Javier Hernandez Balcazar has won over United fans the world over. The vote for October’s player of the month proves it, as do the sombreros outside Old Trafford and the amount of fans with “Chicharito” on the back of their shirt.

On Wednesday though, the boy from Guadalajara, Mexico has the chance to bring the mutual love up to another level altogether, especially for United fans born and bred around Manchester.

With Wayne Rooney still out of action and Dimitar Berbatov doubtful for Wednesday’s big game against Manchester City, the job of leading the United line is likely to fall to Chicharito.

Hernandez has played derbies before and the rivalry between former club Chivas and Atlas in his home town is intense. However, it pales in comparison to Wednesday’s game when the eyes of the world will be on Manchester, and Chicharito. A packed house, freezing weather and a level of pure hatred coming from the City fans that he will never have witnessed, the Manchester derby is a further test of Chicharito’s thus far impeccable character.

We’ll see Wednesday how he fares but what better way to put the cherry on the cake of his exceptional start at United than a goal or two to shut up United’s rich neighbours? And how nice it would be for United fans to see the Mexican steal the headlines from Carlitos Tevez, a fellow Latin American that used to be a United favourite and is now City’s leading light.