Mourinho: Chicharito would've scored 20 goals for United this season

Jose Mourinho can't understand Manchester United's decision to sell Javier Hernandez.

Weeks after admitting he would have never allowed "Chicharito" to leave the club, Mourinho identified the Mexico international as exactly the kind of "killer" his side could use.

The Red Devils have struggled to score on a regular basis, relying heavily on the exploits of 35-year-old striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, whose 27 goals lead the team by a significant margin. Only Juan Mata - who has been ruled out with a groin injury - has reached double-digits.

United has still managed to go unbeaten across 20 consecutive matches, although Mourinho's men dropped points in games they otherwise dictated.

Nine home draws in 16 Premier League outings at Old Trafford bring to mind the monotonous football under Louis van Gaal, who by no coincidence was the one to helped Chicharito out the door in August 2015.

"We have good players, they are creative players, they can create, but they are not the kind of guy that is naturally a killer," Mourinho said Friday, according to ESPN FC's Mark Ogden.

"I give a simple example - in the way we play at Old Trafford, in the way we dominate opponents, in the way we play in the box, I think Chicharito would have scored 20 goals easy.

"Even coming from the bench for the last 10 or 20 minutes, he would have 20 goals.

"He is the guy that naturally the ball comes here, rebound here, rebounds there, boom, goal. The goalkeeper saves, he goes there, boom, goal. The cross is coming, he anticipates the first-post header, goal."

Chicharito has since enjoyed success at Bayer Leverkusen, poaching 38 goals in 73 appearances since joining the Bundesliga outfit for just £7.3 million.

The 28-year-old had his moments in red before slowly falling out of favour. Much like AC Milan legend Filippo Inzaghi, Chicharito developed a habit of springing up at the right time, with the majority of his 57 goals for United coming inside the 18-yard box.