Manchester United: 5 Potential Partners for Robin van Persie

Robin van Persie may need a new partner in the attacking third, with the constant speculation surrounding Wayne Rooney and his future at the club.

It seems increasingly likely that Rooney will leave the club before the summer window ends, and that makes it even more important to find the right partner.

Though Manchester United trotted out a sort of 4-3-3 formation during Sunday's Community Shield encounter with Wigan, as stated here by Bleacher Report's own Sam Tighe, the formations David Moyes will most likely use are a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-4-1-1. Robin van Persie is a shoo-in for the forward position in these formations, but we'll take a look at a few partnerships that may see him play "in the hole."

Whether they already at the club, minus Wayne Rooney of course, or will join within the next few weeks, here are five potential partners for Robin van Persie.

*Unless otherwise stated, all statistics courtesy of ESPN FC and WhoScored.

Shinji Kagawa

Shinji Kagawa is the most obvious choice to partner Robin van Persie in either a 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-1-1 formation. 

The Japanese midfielder was stuck on the wings for the majority of his debut season with the Red Devils, but as reported by the Guardian, his former manager, Jurgen Klopp, believes his best position is centrally. Kagawa scored six goals and had five assists during the 2012/13 campaign.

With his intelligent movement, dribbling skills, eye for a pass and nose for goal, Kagawa would be an excellent partner for van Persie.

The two can interchange between the two central attacking roles, with van Persie able to drop deep and create for others while Kagawa pushes past him. 

Javier Hernandez

This idea would require Robin van Persie to move back into the deep-lying forward/attacking midfielder role.

The Dutch attacker has been likened to former Arsenal great Dennis Bergkamp in his ability to be a creative force, but this move wouldn't necessarily take away from his goal-scoring threat, especially considering his ability from long-range.

With Javier Hernandez in front of him, United would have a proven Premier League goal-scorer whose pace, agility and movement would make him a great player to feed off Robin van Persie.

The Mexican forward notched an impressive 10 goals in 22 games last season, despite only starting nine times.

Christian Eriksen

Christian Eriksen was linked, via the Daily Star, with a move to Manchester United early in the summer. The Danish attacking midfielder has been improving steadily with Ajax through the years, and a move to a big club has always been in the cards.

Eriksen can provide goals, as evidenced by his 10 goals in 33 Eredevisie appearances last season, shown here by statistics on Soccerway. Along with that, his creativity and skill would make him a great asset for Manchester United and a great partner for van Persie.

Luka Modric

ESPN FC reports that United boss David Moyes, is looking into signing Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric.

This potential partnership may only occur if Modric is signed alongside a more defensive player; otherwise Modric may play alongside Michael Carrick. Should it occur though, Manchester United would have an impressive attacking duo.

Modric would be the primary creative outlet for the side in the attacking third, providing penetrative passes to the flanks and, most importantly, to Robin van Persie. His ability to score from long range would keep defenses honest, and he would relieve van Persie of any creative burden whatsoever in the attacking third.

Danny Welbeck

Danny Welbeck is the third in-house addition on this list but, despite his talent, he's the least exciting. Welbeck hasn't shown the goal-scoring skills of Javier Hernandez, and he doesn't have the creativity of Shinji Kagawa.

Robin van Persie would have to be the deeper-lying player in this partnership, and that may result in fewer goals for the Red Devils based on Welbeck's short career so far.

Welbeck's versatility has seen him play a variety of roles for Manchester United, and it's certainly a possibility that he could flourish in a consistent forward role. It's just as possible that the burden for goal-scoring would fall solely on van Persie's shoulders.

The partnership is a potential one for Manchester United, but Welbeck would have to be more productive in front of goal for it to be really considered.