Mexican star Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez will not take one of the 3 overage spots on his country’s Olympic team. His club coach, Sir Alex Ferguson, said the forward is “going to get the requisite rest that he needs to perform in the Premier League.”
(Hernandez isn’t the only Manchester United player being held out; Ferguson told the FA that Team Great Britain manager Stuart Pearce couldn’t take any over-age players except for Ryan Giggs.)
The player who turns 24 on June 1 will take part in El Tri’s 2014 World Cup qualifiers against Guyana (June 8) and El Salvador (June 12), then shut it down for the summer. It will be his first significant rest in three years.
Chicharito missing the Olympics disappointing for fans, but Mexico should be fine without him. They eased through CONCACAF qualification, scoring 16 goals while conceding just 3. Alan Pulido, Javier Aquino, Miguel Ponce, and Marco Fabian have more than enough firepower to make a run in London.