Manchester United Transfer News: Is Robin Van Persie the New Eric Cantona?

If you had any doubts just how glad Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is to have signed Robin van Persie for the 2012/13 English Premier League season, then you'll be stunned by the manager's recent comments about the 29-year-old.

After successfully completing a transfer from Arsenal to Old Trafford over the summer transfer window (per BBC Sport), Van Persie has earned the praises of Ferguson, who declared that the striker can become to the Red Devils what Eric Cantona was to the club many years ago.

Per The Daily Mail (h/t Goal):

"

Robin [van Persie] is what we have needed for the last couple of years—we needed a finished player. We have had several players who have been this sort of catalyst, starting with Eric Cantona.

We were still capable of winning the title without Robin but he gives us a sort of certainty for the future. 

We never thought we could get Van Persie. Even if you go back six months I couldn't see us getting him. I didn't think Arsenal would let him go, but then he refused a new contract and that's when we acted.

It's been a long haul but we needed a finished player. Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs are coming to the end and I need mature, top players to replace them.

"

The confidence from Ferguson will no doubt be a great boost for the Dutch international, who will be looking to build on his stellar season last year where he bagged 30 Premier League goals and clinched the league's Golden Boot Award.

The 29-year-old's past has been littered with injuries and inconsistency—drawing the ire of some football fans as to why Manchester United would want the striker—but given his finishing ability and success in the English Premier League last year, it is easy to understand why the Red Devils would want him in their squad.

As Ferguson alludes to, United's squad is getting old and they do need new players to step and in fill the void when they depart the club, but at the same time, they still need experience and proven talent in their roster.

Van Persie is the type of player that can fill that role for United and should be emulate the success that he had last year for Arsenal, there is little doubt that he could write himself into the history books at Old Trafford as one of the club's greatest signings.

His name could be mentioned in the same sentence as David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Eric Cantona as some of the greatest attacking talents to have played for the Red Devils.

Sir Alex Ferguson seems to think so, anyway.

Can Robin van Persie become one of United's greatest players?

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