Robin van Persie arrived to Old Trafford at the start of the 2012/13 Premier League campaign and took no time settle in Manchester. The former Arsenal player was an instant hit with his new set of fans and colleagues. His comments ‘The little kid inside me wanted to play for United’ infuriated most of the Gunners while he became a darling of Old Trafford faithful.
The Dutchman chose the number 20 shirt and stated that he’d give his best to bring the 20th league title to the club and he didn’t disappoint. He formed a lethal partnership with Wayne Rooney and guided the Red Devils to their 13th Premier League title. Unfortunately, the season ended with Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure from the club and the news hit Van Persie really hard. The following season under David Moyes, Van Persie wasn’t consistent and even struggled with injuries. Overall it was United’s worst season of the last two decades and RvP shares a very small portion of the blame for it.
The 31-year-old was spectacular in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil as the Netherlands finished third in the tournament. The Manchester United stalwart was a crucial player in Louis van Gaal’s armory along with Arjen Robben. Van Persie’s flying header past Iker Casillas was among the best goals of the tournament, probably his best for the national team.
When Manchester United announced the arrival of Van Gaal for a three year term, it was believed that Van Persie would be named the new captain of the club after the departure of Nemanja Vidic, Evra and Ferdinand. But the Dutch manager snubbed him and chose Wayne Rooney as his leader on the pitch. The arrival of Radamel Falcao on-loan from AS Monaco intensified the competition for the striker’s position at the club. Van Persie was unable to find his scoring boots and missed many games due to injuries and inconsistency. The Dutch forward certainly showed glimpses of his genius but it wasn’t enough to impress the former Barcelona coach.
Louis van Gaal’s vision for the next season is to implement the 4-3-3 formation as it worked really well for them last season. Van Gaal likes to have versatile players in his squad and thus he prefers Rooney over Van Persie. Judging by last season’s performance, the Englishman is the clear favourite for the striker’s position which would keep Van Persie to the sidelines. RvP is on the downhill journey of his football career but he can still be the number 1 striker at many clubs. In a league with lower intensity than the Premier League, Van Persie will certainly thrive because of his technical ability. He doesn’t have the pace or acceleration but he is still one of the most lethal finishers in front of goal.
In my opinion, Robin van Persie will thrive at Fenerbahce and he might even become the best player in the Turkish league. It will be a really good move for him as he can still contribute a lot and he won’t feel wanted at Manchester United next season.
The offloading of Van Persie will a good move for the club as they’d get rid of his high weekly wages and moreover they can give chance to a young player. Wilson is quite ready to break through the ranks and become a first team player. Although Ed Woodward and Van Gaal must have had their sights set on a replacement for Falcao and Van Persie. The Chilean striker Henriquez has moved Dynamo Zagreb and the Mexican forward Javier Hernandez’s stay at the club also seems very unlikely. Louis van Gaal is looking for a balance in his team and thus he’s ready to lay off four forwards but it won’t be a surprise if they bring back one talented striker to join their ranks.