Why Manchester United Must Keep Faith with Netherlands Striker Robin van Persie

He has always seemed like something of a sensitive figure. Superbly focused and possibly a little bit introverted, at least on the pitch, Manchester United striker Robin van Persie can sometimes be seen doing his warm-up rounds in solitude, apparently blocked off from what’s going on around him.

Van Persie is not the only footballer to behave in this way. The road to the absolute top is filled with challenges. In most cases, only the most manically driven, the ones who are willing to sacrifice absolutely everything, will reach football’s hall of fame.

Think about the many hours players like Cristiano Ronaldo must have spent in the gym throughout their lives—all on their own. Think about the free-kicks they must have practised after regular training sessions; staying late, even when it’s rainy, snowy or windy, perfecting a certain skill.

As per Michael Moynihan of the Irish Examiner, Ryan Giggs would famously refuse to have butter on his toast. The Manchester United winger’s desire to become the best of the best was so big that he had no problems eating dry bread.

Welcome to the mind of fanaticism; the thoughts of someone who utilises every second of his waking day to become even better at playing football. Often, it is this attitude that can make the greatest footballers look like solitary figures.

As the son of a Dutch artist from Rotterdam, undoubtedly Van Persie is familiar with this type of focus as well. As if channeling creative powers from some place outside himself, the Dutch striker can sometimes seem erratic and difficult to decipher.

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FOCUS pic.twitter.com/FEQEdoUaor

— Robin van Persie (@Persie_Official) August 21, 2014"

The problem is that at the moment, Van Persie’s drive and focus are not producing the amount of goals the striker scored two years ago during Sir Alex Ferguson’s final season in professional football. 

And now that Colombian star man Radamel Falcao has come and strengthened United’s attack force, Van Persie’s apparent self-centeredness suddenly seems problematic.

Suddenly, it’s entirely possible for manager Louis van Gaal to bench Van Persie and to opt for the likes of Falcao, Wayne Rooney and Juan Mata instead.

Like a runner completing a marathon, Van Persie always plays with his eyes on the prize, almost observing the world—and the game of football—through tunnel vision. But at the moment, the prize is eluding him.

Such are the perils that come with being obsessed with success. When the Dutchman’s drive is leading him in the right direction, things go extraordinarily well. When things are not going the right way, things can go very bad.

This might explain why Van Persie has had bad spells before. It might also explain why, despite being hailed as a wonder kid, he never truly broke through at Feyenoord, his first club in the Netherlands.

To truly start his development into the footballer he would later become, Van Persie first had to move to Arsenal, where Arsene Wenger became something of a father figure to him. The French boss, who is seen as an expert at nurturing talent, molded Van Persie into the type of footballer he is today.

Arguably, this is the stuff that Van Persie needs: A shove in the right direction, some reassurance to let him know that the tunnel he’s driving into will eventually lead to success.

At Manchester United, David Moyes never managed to get Van Persie to play as well as he did under Ferguson—yet another manager who made him feel at ease.

But it seems like Louis van Gaal, who refused to take Van Persie out of his first XI when he was in charge of the Dutch national team, could succeed where Moyes failed. As a very experienced manager, Van Gaal knows how to put a player like Van Persie on the right track.

He might not be scoring goals at the moment, and these days competition is fierce at the club. Nonetheless, it would be wise of Manchester United to keep faith in Robin van Persie.

After all, only one goal could set him loose again. And while we know nothing of his toast-and-butter habits, it doesn’t look like Van Persie will rest until he gets that goal.

He’s just too focused and driven for that.