"I was close to signing Chicharito, I still have a very good relationship with him," said Villas-Boas in an interview with ESPN.

"He always said: 'Coach, I'm going to fight for my position [at United] and I'll fight until the end.'

"I told him that he should give me an opportunity that he should come, but no. He believed in himself a lot and that also excited me.

"In the end we weren't able to come to an agreement."

The 40-year-old manager is currently out of work since he left Chinese Super League club Shanghai SIPG, with Villas-Boas finding time to compete in the Dakar Rally in January.

Current West Ham United striker Hernandez eventually moved on loan from Old Trafford to Real Madrid for the 2014-15 season and then completed a permanent deal to Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2015.

Villas-Boas is clearly not surprised that Hernandez, who joined West Ham last summer after two seasons in Germany, has been able to succeed in three of Europe's top leagues.

"[What stands out] as a player [is] his ability to lose his marker, to be in the right place to score a goal," stated the former Chelsea manager.

"That is what interested me most, as well as his speed in space.

"As a person, everything was excellent and I realized that when we spoke.

"It's important for a coach to have [players] that they can relate to in a direct way and I felt that sensation with him."

Hernandez is currently battling for the starting spot under David Moyes at West Ham, who play away at Swansea next Saturday.