Former Manchester United star moved to tears by video of Punch the monkey, who became social media star for turning to orangutan toy for comfort after being abandoned by his mother

A Manchester United cult hero was emotionally moved after watching the viral Punch monkey video.

Punch, a young Japanese macaque at the Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan, went viral after videos showed him dragging around and playing with an orangutan stuffed toy given to him as a substitute for his mother that zookeepers gave him.

The image quickly went viral, amassing over five million views and prompting an outpouring of sympathy.

And that sympathy includes Javier Hernandez who has taken to social media to praise Punch.

Sharing a video of himself tearing up while watching Punch, Hernandez captioned it with: ‘Punch Monkey moved us because he is strong and he is real.

‘He tries to defend himself without fully knowing how, and we have all done this at some point.

A photo of Punch clinging to an orangutan soft toy, after being abandoned by his mother, went viral on X and has attracted millions of sympathetic fans online

Hernandez scored 59 goals in 157 appearances in all competitions during his time at United

‘There is no malice in him only emotion, innocence, and a desire to exist.

‘He teaches us that: You can feel deeply without living in complaint.

‘You can recognise rejection without becoming a victim.

‘You can protect your heart without closing it off.

‘Less “what they did to me,” and more “what do I do with this?”‘

Despite the initial sad video of Punch, there is brighter news with recent uploads showing he’s turned things around. He was given a hug by one monkey and was seen grooming others, a key part of macaque socialisation.

Hernandez spent five years at Manchester United, scoring 59 goals in 157 appearances in all competitions, before leaving in 2015. During that time he won two Premier League titles and a Community Shield.

The Mexican is his country’s all-time record goalscorer, with 52 strikes in 109 appearances, and also played for Real Madrid as well as spending two years with both West Ham and Bayer Leverkusen.

The 37-year-old is currently a free agent after leaving Mexican outfit Chivas in December.