Robin Van Persie is the signing of the season (Video)
How stupid must everyone who doubted Robin Van Persie’s ability to make his move to Manchester United a success must look now. Yes, the Dutchman may be 29, yes he may have only truly delivered for one full season for Arsenal and yes he may have had his injury problems in the past, but seven goals in his first eight appearances for the Red Devils tells its own story.
Put simply, Van Persie has been simply sensational and has already carried his team to six points in the league against Southampton and Liverpool as well as last night’s crucial victory in the Champions League away at Cluj. The video below demonstrates Van Persie’s supreme goalscoring ability in all its glory.
The first goal may be seen to be lucky with the goes in off his shoulder rather than his head, but great strikers will make their own luck. The second goal is classic Van Persie. Latching onto an admittedly glorious inswinging pass from Wayne Rooney, the Dutchman anticipates the onrushing goalkeeper and scores the only way he possibly could from that position, showing a deftness of touch that we have come to associate from the Dutchman that caresses the ball into the corner of the net to give United the points from a game that they were previously struggling with.
It might seem incredulous to say so but scarily for the rest of the league and Europe, United still have not quite understood Van Persie. His goalscoring has been sublime but as he has often said, there is more to his game than simply goalscoring. United fans have not yet seen the creative side of their number 20’s game, the ability to almost control a match from his deep-lying centre forward position. Sir Alex Ferguson’s teams have often play in a style that supplies their forwards from wider areas and while Van Persie may be able to plunder numerous goals from such tactics, it is the style that United showed against Cluj that brings out the best in him – that of the narrow midfield that prioritises passing and the keeping of possession a’la Arsenal.
However, at the moment, there is simply no stopping Van Persie and if his partnership with Rooney begins to click consistently, then who knows what United could do this season, defensive problems or not.
Adam Mazrani
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