Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez will feel the love from Real Madrid fans when he takes to the field on Wednesday against Almeria at the Bernabeu.
Whatever happens, it is unlikely that it will be as exciting as last Wednesday when his late winner was the difference over 180 minutes in a Madrid derby.
After a frustrating season, spending too much time on the bench and not enough on the pitch, the Mexican is now Real’s man of the moment.
His winner against Atletico, which sent Real into a Uefa Champions League semi-final against Juventus, is likely to be his defining moment at the club if he returns to Manchester United at the end of his loan period in June. But he may stay.
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Real have an option to make the deal permanent for an EU€20 million fee (Dh80.1m). Real think that is too much for the 26-year-old Mexican, but the more he scores, the more it looks like a fee worth paying.
On Sunday against Celta Vigo, he scored twice in a 4-2 win and now boasts four goals and an assist in his last four appearances. Before that he had been used sparingly.
Between a home clasico on October 25 and an away clasico on March 22, Hernandez played just 75 league minutes from 20 games.
His confidence was smashed and while Real praised him for his professionalism, footballers just want to play football.
Hernandez said little in public but Mexican journalists closest to his family portrayed a picture of a deeply frustrated man who had been told that he would get minutes on the pitch with Real after a poor season at United, especially as Real’s emerging striker Jese was out with a long-term injury.
Those minutes proved elusive, with Real’s venerated front three of Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema starting every week.
Hernandez knew he would not be starting ahead of them, but felt deprived of chances to prove himself.
He continued to train patiently and his stance finally paid off as Benzema and Bale were injured, with their return dates still uncertain. Hernandez took his chances.
Louis van Gaal, the United manager, was asked about Hernandez’s improved form and appeared unmoved about giving him another chance at United, saying: “What do you think? I gave him a chance and then I said the same thing as I did to Danny Welbeck.
“When you score a goal, as he has just done for Real Madrid, are you suddenly different? I don’t think so.”
Hernandez had been a hero at Old Trafford after a great first season in 2010/11, when he scored 20 goals. He started in the 2011 Champions League final but that first season was his best.
By last season he was another United player who disappointed as the team finished seventh, their worst league finish for 25 years.
Van Gaal played him pre-season and started him in the opening Premier League game at home to Swansea City where he was substituted at half time with United trailing. And, like the rest of his teammates, he missed another chance to impress in United’s 4-0 defeat at League 1 side MK Dons in the League Cup at the end of August.
Real president Florentino Perez had watched as Hernandez was introduced to the 109,346 crowd in Michigan pre-season, when United and Real met on August 2.
He heard a bigger roar than for any other player that day and saw the appeal of Hernandez in North America. When he saw Hernandez finish from a majestic Shinji Kagawa assist, Perez was convinced.
Within a month he was a Real player on a loan deal, and one who is now scoring key goals at the most vital stage of the season.
From seemingly being a fifth-choice striker heading straight back to Manchester, his stock is rising again.
He reportedly is paid £80,000 (Dh447,500) per week, a contract that extends through next season. From an asset United would have struggled to get a fee for a month ago, that €20m valuation now seems reasonable.
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