Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez's prospect of a permanent move to Real Madrid will be assessed at the end of the season, coach Carlo Ancelotti has said.
Hernandez, 26, is currently on loan at Madrid from Manchester United until the end of the current campaign, and has featured little through much of the campaign. The striker admitted while on international duty with Mexico in March to having been driven to tears of frustration at spending so much time on the bench.
A recent injury to first-choice centre-forward Karim Benzema, however, has opened up a place in Madrid's starling XI, and Hernandez has grabbed the chance with both hands -- he scored the winning goal in the 1-0 Champions League quarterfinal second-leg victory over Atletico Madrid and a brace in Sunday's 4-2 La Liga triumph at Celta Vigo.
Such performances have led to frenzied speculation over the Mexico international's future, with Marca's cover on Tuesday morning saying Madrid are considering making the deal permanent with the headline: "He has earned it."
'Se lo ha ganado' #LaPortada pic.twitter.com/zvhGrO8UuS
- MARCA (@marca) April 27, 2015
Inside, the paper claims that the current loan deal with United contains a clause which means Madrid can buy Hernandez for €20 million if a deal is done before the end of April, although it adds the club "would never even consider" this price. However, a less expensive deal could still be done, the paper suggests.
Asked about the speculation at a news conference ahead of Wednesday's La Liga clash with Almeria, Ancelotti said it was too early yet to be making any decision, while praising Hernandez's attitude through the current campaign.
"That is something we will decide at the end of the season," he said. "I have liked his professionalism all through the season, and he has taken advantage of his opportunities. For a coach, it is very positive to have these type of players."
Asked if Hernandez's performances had shown he was wrong to have relied so heavily on the "BBC" strike force of Gareth Bale, Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo earlier in the season, Ancelotti said he was not going to waste any time thinking back over past decisions.
"I have made many mistakes, but I can only choose 11 players," he said. "I cannot think about that. I have to judge the moment of each player. He has helped the team and I hope it continues like this."