Jamie Ireland
During David Moyes’ 10 months in charge at Old Trafford, it was expected that Wayne Rooney would replace the out-going Nemanja Vidic as Captain. Now not so much.
Reports suggest that Louis van Gaal will hand his current Netherlands Captain Robin van Persie, the armband when he takes over at United after the World Cup, not Wayne Rooney.
This is likely to upset Manchester United fans. Rooney is the longest serving player left having joined in 2004 from Everton and is the clubs third highest goalscorer behind Denis Law and Bobby Charlton.
But for the incoming manager, you can see the reasoning behind him choosing van Persie. Here are three reasons:
Leader – Despite only being at the club two seasons, van Persie is already a leader on the pitch for United and his record and goalscoring prowess command respect. He has also won over a lot of United fans thanks to his 26 goals that delivered the league title in 2013.
Experience – At 30 years old, van Persie has racked up 253 Premier League appearances in his 10 years in England. He has already served as a Captain both at international level and at former club Arsenal. (Although I am not sure that helps his case)
Relationship – The striker has been working with van Gaal for two years and he was trusted enough to be given the Netherlands captaincy. Both being the same nationality will help van Gaal adjust to Manchester and there is unlikey to be any problems between the two, which you couldn’t say if Rooney was Captain.
