"We're good at developing young players with spirit, it's always been a strong part of our club," Ferguson told reporters after a youthful United team had beaten Major League Soccer's 'All Stars' 5-2 on Wednesday.
Whereas Ferguson's original set of kids, including David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville, were British, the current crop features a sprinkling of imports.
The forward pair showed their quality with well-taken goals - two for Macheda - in Wednesday's 5-2 friendly win over the MLS XI.
However, Macheda and Hernandez will be part of Ferguson's first team attacking options.
"I need to keep Macheda and Hernandez, who just joined the club, that's imperative. There's a purpose there in the way they play their football," said Ferguson.
"It's not just talent. You don't play at our club with just talent, you play with something, and they've got something else. I'm pleased with that."
Hernandez's pace is an asset that the United manager is keen to exploit but he says it remains to be seen what kind of partnership he could strike up with Wayne Rooney.
"The one thing defenders always worry about is players with speed. They always worry about the space behind them. Of course, when you see his goal, it's an indication of that speed.
"How the combination with Wayne will work, I think we need to adjust a little bit to it because I think both could be similar types of players.
"There are still little things to do but not a great deal in terms of his technique and things like that. I think once he gets used to our training, he'll be OK."
