Robin van Persie: Reviewing the Dutchman's Manchester United Debut

With Everton leading—somewhat improbably (it must be said)—1-0 in the 65th minute on Monday evening and very much in the ascendancy with a rapturous Goodison Park crowd behind them, Sam Wallace, chief football correspondent for The Independent, tweeted that Robin van Persie was being beckoned over to the United dugout from where he had been warming up on the sideline.

The Dutchman, signed just this past week from Arsenal for £24 million, came on for Danny Welbeck in the 68th minute and immediately hustled over to the right corner flag, where he proceeded to launch in a trademark bending service.

With Everton packed in behind the ball in a perfectly resolute display, that corner, and another one immediately following it, would be the only touches Van Persie would have on the ball for his first 10 minutes on the pitch, save for one clearing header in midfield.

The positioning for that header would be telling, as Van Persie was frequently forced to drop deep in order to get any real time in possession. Everton's final third resembled a sardine box, with any passes either being choked out like a thorny growth or finding Van Persie with his back to goal and unable to turn.

Van Persie's most significant contribution came near the right end line, where he used a superb bit of trickery to brush past a defender before cutting a good cross back across goal for Shinji Kagawa.

The Japanese midfielder, who was also signed this summer, could muster only a faint poke at the ball, which fell easily for Tim Howard.

Van Persie was lining up as a forward, but he frequently funneled wide to get more touches on the ball. It was hardly a new wrinkle in the Dutchman's approach, as he'd developed a penchant for dropping into midfield while with Arsenal, but considering United were in desperate need of a goal, it was a measure of just how badly Van Persie wanted to make an impact with that wonderful left foot of his.

Maybe he thought he could find a sliver of space and strike from distance; maybe he thought he could send in a good cross for one of his new teammates. Either way, neither formula worked, with Van Persie's lone cross from the left wing dropping comfortably into Howard's grasp.

Most of Van Persie's time in the forward position saw him with his back to goal, and he was expending furious amounts of energy trying to free a yard or two of space for himself.

He was rarely called upon to be an impact sub toward the end of his tenure with Arsenal—a byproduct of his status as the club's most dangerous attacker and team captain in his final season—and while he showed he could fulfill the role with a superlative display against Sunderland last October, some two-and-a-half weeks later he would draw a blank against Marseille.

Monday evening proved to be more of the latter for the new United No. 20.

Effectively denied service by a resolute defense and often finding himself far too deep in midfield to do much of anything when he did get on the ball, it was a difficult debut for the Dutchman.

He had, however, shown flashes of his tremendous quality, and given time and starts, he will almost certainly flower for United.