Transfer Rumor: Real Madrid’s Chicharito to Orlando City?

The great thing about being a fan of a team with ambition is that every star player who becomes available gets linked to a transfer to that team as soon as there is speculation about them changing squads. Or maybe that’s the annoying thing about being a fan of a team with ambition. One of those.

Anyway, after hearing names like Ronaldinho and Mario Balotelli, the latest star name linked to the Lions is none other than Mexican international Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez.

MLS side Orlando City are the latest club to have expressed interest in Manchester United misfit Javier Hernandez.

The Mexico international would be a huge commercial draw for the Florida-based franchise who are coached by former Everton and Manchester City striker Adrian Heath.

Orlando have a huge Latin-American fanbase and made enquiries last week about the prospect of a deal.

The Little Pea isn’t any happier about being buried on the depth chart at Real Madrid than he was about being buried on the depth chart at Manchester United.

Still just 26, Hernandez could become a goal machine in MLS. The problem that makes this only slightly more of a daffy idea than Balotelli is that Orlando City has three full Designated Player slots and Chicharito can command a much higher salary in Europe, playing for a team like Southampton, Stoke City, Wolfsburg or AC Milan.

At some of the European sides reportedly eyeing him, Chicharito would become a first-team choice immediately. So that’s another reason Hernandez isn’t likely going to be playing in the Citrus Bowl, aside from perhaps in the Mexico-Costa Rica friendly scheduled for June 27.

But if you want to entertain the fantasy, let’s get into it.

Hernandez has tons of pace and is a goal poacher extraordinaire, who would flourish at scoring goals in MLS. That said, he’s not a great passer and his hold-up play is lacking. He does one thing well — put the ball in the net. That might be what Orlando City needs right now, but long term, Adrian Heath would surely prefer someone with a more rounded game to serve as the point of his team’s spear.