The entire footballing world had gone in deep shock when Sir Alex Ferguson shipped Robin van Persie from direct Premier League rivals Arsenal. It was unexpected to say the least, and it was a clear sign of Fergie’s intentions — he wanted more firepower upfront to bring back the league to Old Trafford. The ploy worked extremely well, as the Dutchman scored over 20 goals in that campaign to bring back the league to Old Trafford, and was, and still is, widely regarded as a United cult hero. However, both Moyes and van Gaal failed to get out the best from him after that, and subsequently the striker was sold at the beginning of this season to Turkish club Fenerbahce. Now, with United having struggled for goals all season, could really use someone like van Persie at front, and here are the 3 reasons why we seriously miss him:
1. His ability
You don’t doubt a man’s ability when he is the 10th highest goalscorer in the Premier League, you just don’t. Despite being injury prone, the former Feyenoord striker was easily the best in the world for quite some stretch of time, and even after a slow start at his new club, he now has 14 goals and 3 assists in the Turkish League. Given the fact that United has scored less than 50 goals in the Premier League for the first time in their history, someone like him who is a guaranteed 15 goal-a-season-striker would have really come handy.
2. His experience
He has won the Premier League, played regularly in the Champions League and even participated in a World Cup final. With a CV like that, van Persie would have bought a lot of composure and experience to the side, which would have been gold for youngsters like Memphis Depay and Anthony Martial. Even United legends like Paul Scholes and Rio Ferdinand have criticized the former Ajax manager’s decision to let the 32- year old forward go.
3. He was a crowd favourite
Van Persie was the darling of Old Trafford during his stay, and while nobody is bigger than the club, having him on his side would probably have given a huge psychological boost to van Gaal.
