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'I would've taken a bullet for Man Utd but I'm not upset that I left - it wasn't the same'

One Manchester United hero admitted the reasons why he wasn't upset by his Old Trafford departure

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Javier Hernandez won two Premier League titles with Manchester United(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Javier Hernandez revealed his lack of sadness at leaving Manchester United was due to the significant change he witnessed at the club. The 38-year-old was largely an unknown commodity when signing for United in 2010 from boyhood club Guadalajara.

However, the Mexican striker soon endeared himself to the fans by scoring 20 goals in 45 games in his first season as United captured the Premier League title. His potency in front of goal, never-say-die attitude and remarkable aerial ability despite his diminutive figure clinched his cult hero status at Old Trafford before his exit in 2015.

His lack of playing time under David Moyes spelled the beginning of the end for Hernandez, who joined Real Madrid on loan in 2014. He was then made surplus to requirements by Louis van Gaal a year later and clinched a 7m move to Bayer Leverkusen.

It's been over a decade since he left Manchester and Hernandez has now opened up about his departure during his appearance on Rio Ferdinand Presents. Speaking to his former United team-mate, the Atletico Dallas striker 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.

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"I am not that upset that I left. I would have taken a bullet for that team. Its my team, Manchester United. But things werent the same. Its not that I left the club that I was with; I left a different environment.

"It wasnt 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 doesnt mean that it was all nice, but there were values."

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Javier Hernandez admitted why he wasn't upset when he left Man Utd (Image: Rio Ferdinand Presents/YouTube)

Hernandez cited his loan spell at Madrid that helped him come to terms with his later exit from United, but insisted he would have retired in Manchester if circumstances were different. He explained: "Something that helped me a little bit was [that] before I left United, I went to play for Real Madrid.

"So that gave me something like, if they don't value me in United, let me find a club. Bayer Leverkusen happened and I scored 40 goals in two seasons, playing in the Bundesliga was amazing, it was bittersweet.

[Shinji Kagawa, Javier Hernandez and Juan Mata at Manchester United]

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The Mexican icon became a cult hero at Old Trafford (Image: Jan Kruger, Getty Images)

"But yes, realistically, I was very sad. Dont get me wrong. I would have retired at United and I would take a bullet for that team. But it wasnt the same team as the team that embraced me and gave me my first opportunity." Hernandez ended his United tenure with 59 goals in 157 games across all competitions.

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