LIGA MX
Could ‘Chicharito’ Hernández rejoin Chivas? Paunovic is open to move
Chivas head coach Veljko Paunovic has refused to rule out a move to re-sign return Javier Hernández, who has indicated he’d like to return to the club.
After Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernández’s recent nod to Chivas over a potential return to the club, the Guadalajarans’ head coach, Veljko Paunovic, has left the door open for the LA Galaxy striker to rejoin the Liga MX giants.
Hernández “could bring something to our team”
Speaking to Fox Sports, Paunovic said he’d like to have Hernández among his attacking ranks at the Estadio Akron.
“Of course, when the time comes, this is his home club,” the Serb said. “From my point of view, he’s a highly useful player who could bring something to our team.”
Hernández, 34, spent four years in the Chivas first team after graduating from the club’s academy, before joining Premier League heavyweights Manchester United in 2010.
Paunovic added, however, that his current priority is to bring through talent from Chivas’ youth set-up, rather than make signings from abroad. “There is so much potential to be developed here,” he said.
Paunovic seeks to emulate Almeyda at Chivas
Under Paunovic, who was appointed in October, Chivas have enjoyed a good regular season in the Clausura 2023 tournament, reaching the 30-point mark for the first time since 2011.
Part of his recipe for success, he revealed to Fox, has been to take notes from the Chivas side that won the Clausura 2017 under Matías Almeyda.
“From the get-go, we’ve looked for improvement day in, day out,” Paunovic said. “What we want is to step it up in every department, and to do that we’ve had to ratchet up the demands we place on the players.
“It all comes down to the work we every day. Video has been a great tool: we’ve shown the players examples from their own club, looking at the standards set by previous champions here. The most recent reference point is the team coached by Matías Almeyda, which managed to win [the title]. It’s all about showing that it has been made possible here before.
“We haven’t won anything yet - but we’re working on that. It’s down to us. Our job is to prove that Chivas are back.”