The Manchester United striker Javier Hernández has revealed he almost quit football before joining the Premier League club. The Mexico international last month signed a new five-year contract at Old Trafford after making a huge impression in his first season at the club.
Hernández scored 20 goals in all competitions last term after joining United from Chivas of Guadalajara in the summer of 2010. Yet the 23-year-old has not always enjoyed his football and told Inside United: "It was about three years ago and I had a lot of questions about whether or not this was the path God wanted me to follow.
"I wasn't playing much football, I was being kept in the reserves. I was disappointed younger players were coming through and getting ahead of me and it really got me down, even away from football.
"I talked a lot with my parents, my grandparents, my sister and my girlfriend about my situation and they helped me realise that this is what I was meant to do. I know now that I'm a very lucky guy and I'm glad I made the decision to keep playing. That experience taught me a lot."
Hernández missed the start of this campaign after suffering concussion during a pre-season training session in the United States. The player spent time in hospital after the incident but was never concerned the condition was serious.
Hernández said: "I just headed the ball on the wrong part of my head. It was a very strong cross, the ball moved in the air and it hit me on the back of my head.
"I think all injuries in football or in life are scary and it's never nice to have bad headaches or be throwing up. But I knew I would be OK. This had happened twice before in Mexico, when I'd clashed heads with another player. So I knew what was happening to me, I knew the symptoms and knew I'd feel OK again."
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