Photo by Omar Vega/Getty Images
Photo by Omar Vega/Getty Images
In a new interview with Rio Ferdinand, Javier Hernandez lifted the lid on the cultural shift at Manchester United following Sir Alex Ferguson’s 2013 retirement.
Manchester United is a very different club from what it was in 2013 and in 2026. Sir Alex Ferguson delivered the Premier League title (for a remarkable 13th time).
Sadly, none of the managers who followed him into the Old Trafford dugout has been able to replicate that.
Former United and Mexico striker Javier Hernandez touched upon something he noticed was lacking at United after Ferguson walked away from the hot seat.
Javier Chicharito Hernandez greeted by fans after joining Atletico Dallas
Photo by Omar Vega/Getty Images
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Man Utd instantly missed Sir Alex Ferguson
Hernandez, 38, was one of the players who experienced playing for United before and after Ferguson’s retirement.
The Atletico Dallas striker played under Ferguson’s successor, David Moyes, before spending one full season under Louis van Gaal.
Hernandez was appearing on Rio Ferdinand Presents when he revealed how United “wasn’t the same club” after Ferguson and David Gill left Old Trafford.
When asked about his departure in 2015, Hernandez said: “It was very hard. Because if you gave me the chance to stay at United for most of my career, I would have taken it. The team that I played the most games for, even more than my hometown team in Mexico, is United.
“I would have taken a bullet for that team. It’s my team, Manchester United. But things weren’t the same. It’s not that I left the club that I was with; I left a different environment. It wasn’t the same club.
“With the departure, obviously, of Sir Alex Ferguson, but also David Gill and all that family structure. When I say family, it doesn’t mean that it was all nice, but there were values.
“I was very sad. Don’t get me wrong. I would have retired at United and I would take a bullet for that team. But it wasn’t the same team as the team that embraced me and gave me my first opportunity.”
Hernandez explains that United lost core values when Ferguson left. The family aspect of the club had gone, and we’ve seen multiple examples of that since 2013. Episodes where the club has shown this include the European Super League collapse as well as the recent attack on genuine match-going fans.
The family feeling that Ferguson built at United was appreciated by the players, too. Hernandez isn’t the first player to reference how things changed for the worse after his departure.
Only time will tell if Carrick can help restore some of United’s core values over the coming years. He knows – having played under Ferguson for many years – how the Scot got the best out of his players season after season.
⚡️ KEY TAKEAWAYS
Javier Hernandez reveals how Manchester United lost its core values following Sir Alex Ferguson’s 2013 retirement
Hernandez left United two years later when Louis van Gaal was in charge
United have shown many examples of how they’ve lost core values since 2013
Javier Hernandez embarking on new journey in the USL
Hernandez signed for United in 2010 as an unknown talent. Now, the Guadalajara-born star is known across the world.
He recently signed a two-year contract, with a club option for a third, with Atletico Dallas.
This means Hernandez will compete in the USL for the first time.
Speaking to The Athletic, the former United striker said: “It’s a new chapter in my career, in my life. It’s a project that I’m very attracted to because it’s a long-term project. It’s (just) starting, but it’s not that I’m going to be here just for one year and then ‘Goodbye’. I’m going to have a relationship with this club for (the long term), and I hope we can achieve our goals.
“Of course, we want to win championships. We want to win games. We want to be a great football club, as well – but what we want the most is to connect with the Dallas people, and they can feel represented. And Atlético Dallas can become something very important for the city.”