Robin Van Persie's Manchester United Days Could Be Numbered

Robin van Persie has endured title-winning highs under Sir Alex Ferguson, seventh-placed woes under David Moyes and now, during another significant period of transition at Old Trafford under Louis van Gaal, it's hard to see a future for the striker at Manchester United.

The Dutchman's performances have been noticeably below-par this season, despite the arrival of his former international coach Van Gaal—with whom he shares an excellent relationship.

Continuous injury concerns for on-loan Radamel Falcao have seen Van Persie enjoy an extended run in the first team, but despite his three league goals this campaign—just one short of top goalscorer Wayne Rooney—he has failed to replicate the standard of match-winning performances which saw him earn a Premier League winner's medal during his first season at the club.

While clear-cut chances may have been in fairly short supply, a return of three goals from 11 matches this season is far from the what is expected from a world-class operator. After firing 26 league goals during the 2012/13 season and being the focal point of the side at that point, the Dutchman's recent form would strongly suggest his star may well be fading.

Sky Sports' Adam Bate suggests Van Persie's poor conversion rate for United this season could really start to become a cause for concern as his Premier League rivals overshadow him.

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Of the 35 players who have scored three or more goals in the Premier League this season, Van Persie has the worst shot conversion rate of any of them—a miserable 13.6 per cent. By comparison, Costa is putting them away at an unsustainably daft rate of over 45 per cent.

Van Persie has scored just two of the six clear chances that have come his way so far this season. Again the comparison with Costa, who has converted 10 and missed just one, is particularly unfavourable.

Fewer quality chances and failing to score when they do arrive; it’s a worrying combination that hints at inexorable decline. But there is a sense in which the difficulties are psychological rather than physical. While the question of motivation has been raised, it seems that for a player once heralded as understanding his own game better than most, decision-making has become an issue.

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A 2-1 victory for United on Saturday at Van Persie's old stomping ground saw the striker register a mere 12 touches in total, per WhoScored, with three of these coming while taking corners. For the second time in three matches, the Dutchman was withdrawn early to be replaced by the exciting and industrious James Wilson.

Despite not getting on the scoresheet yet during Van Gaal's tenure, Wilson has waited patiently, turning in laboured performances when coming off the bench with his work rate and legwork in particular making him a more significant threat. Falcao—when fit—has offered similar workmanlike performances, proving that his talents are by no means limited to just being a goalscorer.

With a mere 39 per cent of possession for United at the Emirates, Van Persie's anonymous performance could be forgiven if it were an isolated incident. However, the former Arsenal man has failed to make his presence felt all too often this season.

After his 12 touches at the Emirates, he has now totted up a meagre 67 touches in his previous three outings. To put that in perspective, Wayne Rooney has managed 227 during that time.

While the pair undoubtedly have opposing styles of play, something needs to be addressed by the Dutchman or he risks finding himself out of the team.

Pace has never been a really strong point for Van Persie, so the return to fitness of Falcao and the emergence of Wilson—both of whom possess a far superior work ethic—will no doubt hang huge question marks over the striker's first-team chances.

Of course every striker goes through a purple patch, and the Dutchman's recent blip could soon pass, but at 31, it remains to be seen whether Van Persie can rekindle the peak form which saw him as the Premier League's hottest property when he made the switch to Old Trafford in 2012.

United have played a much different system to what he was used to during that first season and a freak number of injuries for Van Gaal's side this season have seen formation changes forced upon the side on almost a game-by-game basis—which is unlikely to aid his problems.

While he enjoys a superb relationship with his coach, the man known as the "Iron Tulip" had no issues in the past, dropping big names when underperforming. He caused a stir in his home nation when axing Wesley Sneijder as the national team captain after branding the midfielder unfit.

Saturday will see the visit of Hull City to Old Trafford, the team Wilson made his senior debut against last season—scoring twice on that occasion. That was the youngster's first and only league start for United, and many would love to see the 18-year-old given the opportunity to put Steve Bruce's side to the sword once again.

Rest assured, if Wilson did start in place of Van Persie and have a similar impact as last season's encounter, the Dutchman could well find himself in the unfamiliar position of being United's fourth choice striker.

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