Mexican striker Javier "Chicharito" Hernández seems to have grown tired of playing for El Tri, and if that's the case, then Gerardo Martino will not try to convince him from thinking things over.
The former Argentina and Barcelona coach was recently appointed as Mexico's tactician for the 2018-2022 World Cup cycle. Martino asked Liga MX teams to lend some players for a mini camp this week, and during the press conference that concluded that camp, Martino spoke about Mexican players currently performing in Europe.
When asked about Chicharito, Martino left it up to the player to decide if he wants to keep playing for El Tri, since he believes that no player should be given special treatment over his colleagues.
"For us, Chicharito is a highly-regarded player. I don't see why we would need to motivate him to come and play with us. The motivation of playing for your national team has to come from the player himself," Martino said.
Martino elaborated his answer due to Hernández's frequent problems with fans and members of the media, who often criticize him on social media due to his lack of playing time and controversial statements. Judging by his reply, it seems that El Tri will need to prepare for life after Chicharito.
"If the coach of a national team has to motivate his players as you would expect a regular club's coach to do, then you would have a very serious problem. Any footballer playing abroad should be proud to be called up to play for his national team," Martino added.
The Argentine boss referred on similar terms to MLS footballers Carlos Vela, Jonathan Dos Santos and Giovani Dos Santos. Martino has already chatted with the trio, but he was also clear about the contents of those conversations.
"I just went over there to talk to them. I had coffee with Carlos, and I could have done the same with Gio, because there's nothing to hide. Either way, having a cup of coffee to discuss their future plans does not mean that they will be included in my squad for March's friendlies," Martino concluded.
Hernández is Mexico's all-time top scorer with 50 goals in 106 games. He is also one of the most capped players in El Tri's history, but doubts about his international future emerged right after the FIFA World Cup, when he refused to be called up for any of the six friendlies played by El Tri in the second semester of 2018.
