Chicharito Has The Fear Factor

Reds boss Sir Alex Ferguson believes defenders in the Premier League will be petrified by the pace of new signing Javier Hernandez, who made a goalscoring first appearance in a red shirt against MLS All-Stars in Houston.

Hernandez grabbed the headlines by scoring the fifth goal in a 5-2 win in front of 70,728 fans at the Reliant Stadium, a wonderful lobbed finish that only adds to the expectations and excitement about what the Mexican international can bring to Old Trafford.

"The one thing defenders worry about is players with speed, who get into the space behind them,” said a pleased Sir Alex after United’s fourth and final game on the tour of USA and Canada.

“When you see Hernandez's goal it is an indication of that speed. The timing of his run, coming towards the ball spinning he is going to be a threat to defenders, no question."

Hernandez was given a warm welcome from the large Hispanic community in Houston, but that’s nothing to what he can expect in Guadalajara for United’s final match across the Atlantic against his former club Chivas.

But Chicharito wasn’t the only player to catch Sir Alex’s eye. Two of United’s other goalscorers were worthy of a mention from the manager. Federico Macheda put United 2-0 up in the first half – his first goal was a supremely cool finish – while Tom Cleverley continues to stake his claim to remain at United next season with a very tidy finish to make it 4- after Darron Gibson’s well-struck free-kick.

"We always say about Macheda that he probably the best player we have in terms of going through one-on-one with the goalkeeper,” added Sir Alex.

“He’s outstanding in those positions. You always feel very confident. When he went through, I expected him to score. It was a well-taken goal."

He continued: "The confidence Tom [Cleverley] had to flick the ball over the defender’s head, then the composure to finish it off, meant it was an outstanding goal.”

Sir Alex was also pleased with the improved possession and tempo of the team’s play overall. "The thing I was looking for was our possession of the ball,” he said. “We were much better at that. Through that we had a good tempo to our game, good rythm to our play. It was a really good performance by us. We got a good start to the match and the team were confident for this challenge."

The only downside for the Reds was an ankle injury sustained by Gabriel Obertan. The French winger has shone on tour, but is now expected to be out for two weeks.