Robin Van Persie Injury: Updates on Manchester United Star's Ankle and Return

Manchester United striker Robin van Persie appears to have made a rapid recovery after injuring his ankle against Southampton.  

Continue for updates.

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RvP Returns for United

Thursday, Jan. 22

Having missed the 2-0 win at QPR, Van Persie will be available as United visit Cambridge in the FA Cup:

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Van Persie Damages Ankle

Sunday, Jan. 11

Louis van Gaal confirmed Van Persie had injured his ankle after the match with Southampton, via Tom Williams of AFP:

Van Persie came off in the second half of the matchup and went straight down the tunnel, via the club:

At Arsenal, van Persie built a reputation as one of the best strikers in the Premier League, for the matches in which he could take part. In his last season at the Emirates Stadium, the Dutchman looked to have put those issues in his rear-view mirror, playing all 38 EPL games in 2011/12. He matched the feat in his first season at United in 2012/13.

However, last year, RVP once again became an injury liability, only appearing in 21 league matches.

He scored 12 goals and assisted on three more in those 21 appearances, demonstrating how good he can be when healthy. Van Persie played much better close to goal, allowing Wayne Rooney to drop a little deeper toward midfield into a secondary striker role.

Michael Regan/Getty Images

Their partnership was one of the few bright spots at Old Trafford last year.

With the additions of Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao during the summer, van Persie's importance on the squad somewhat lessened. While still one of the club's top goalscorers, he doesn't need to be the talisman that he was in 2012/13.

Losing van Persie will cause some issues for Louis van Gaal, but the Dutch manager is lauded for his tactical acumen. He should ensure that United don't suffer too much on the pitch with RVP out.