5 Reasons Why Manchester United Shouldn't Sign Robin Van Persie

The sheer thought of Robin van Persie in a Manchester United kit (even this year's gingham monstrosity) will send every Man United fan, even admittedly myself, drooling.

On the back of one of the greatest striking seasons ever witnessed in the Barclays Premier League, van Persie almost single-handedly led Arsenal into the top three, breaking Thierry Henry's scoring record along the way, as well as winning the Golden Boot. Van Persie was also unlucky to have not notched up the PFA player of the year as well.

With Ferguson and Man United reportedly close to sealing a deal for the Dutchman, the fantasy move looks to be edging ever closer to reality. Who knows, maybe by the time you read this, the Arsenal captain will have already made his way up the M6 to Old Trafford.

Before United fans start to rejoice in their new marquee signing, wipe the drool of your faces, un-pop your champagne bottles, return your new van Persie jersey back to the megastore and just stop and think.

Is van Persie really the best signing for Man United right now? Here are five reasons why he isn't.

Inconsistency

The word inconsistency was hardly associated with van Persie last season. His extraordinary season led him to claim the Premier League Golden Boot, as well as surpass Arsenal great, Thierry Henry's scoring record in a year for the Gunners.

But was last season really that much of a surprise?

Prior to last year, van Persie was labelled as an injury-ridden, underachieving player. In his seven previous seasons with the Gunners, he only notched a total of 95 goals. That may seem like a lot, but Henry almost doubles van Persie's tally with a massive 184 goals.

Ruud van Nistelrooy, the last Dutch striker to join United already scored 150 goals in his five seasons at Old Trafford.

As good as van Persie was last season, Ferguson can't assume that the Dutchman will deliver the same kind of consistency that someone like Ruud van Nistelrooy did at United or Thierry Henry at Arsenal.

It may be unfair to compare van Persie with those two great players, but that is the caliber of talent that Ferguson is looking for. You cannot base consistency on just one great season.

Age

Should van Persie find his form again, it won't last for long. He turns 30 next year, an age that usually marks the fall of a striker's form. Even the striking legends of football, namely Raul, the original Ronaldo and Henry, all met their ends around their early 30s.

Even if one were to put van Persie into such a category, continuing his scoring run at that age will be very unlikely. There's a reason why Eric Cantona retired around that age.

Pressure

The biggest challenge of any United player, whether your name is David de Gea or even Ryan Giggs, is the pressure of performing in front of a demanding crowd at Old Trafford consistently. And with United fans like myself ruing last seasons double defeat and subsequent title loss to City, the pressure this season to win will be at an all time high.

So will van Persie be able to cope with it?

We have seen many a United player succumb to the weight of expectation and seen their Theatre of Dreams turn into a hellish nightmare. Does anyone remember a player called Dimitar Berbatov?

As this summer's European Championships showed, sometimes that weight can be a little too much for van Persie. The Dutchman also has a reputation of going missing during big matches, crucial games for any club especially Man United.

And the fact that van Persie is joining a rival club won't help either. He has already been slaughtered by fans for wanting to leave Arsenal, and joining rivals Man United will make them absolutely livid.

Now what kind of effect can that have on a striker? Ask Fernando Torres.

Price

If Sir Alex Ferguson is really that willing to pay the reputed £22 million that Arsenal are demanding then he really isn't worth it.

There are so many other areas that United could invest in with that money, a solid holding midfielder maybe. Or another defender to avoid the defensive meltdown that United suffered last season.

There are just too many risks associated with the Dutchman. With Manchester United attempting to float shares in stock exchanges around the world, it's probably best for Ferguson to spend wisely. Should he use £22 million, it would probably be better spent on a younger player with a proven track record and plenty of years ahead of him.

Does United Need Another Striker?

Man United's interest in van Persie will not be great news for the striking department at Carrington unless your name is Wayne Rooney.

The area where United needs the least help would be up front, where Hernandez, Rooney and Welbeck are already causing havoc amongst the best defenses around the Premier League.

Additionally, Welbeck and Hernandez are both still young and have plenty of time and potential to develop into world-class talent.

So why waste them and spend £22 million on an aging player from a rival team?