Robin Van Persie Shuns Louis Van Gaal in Manchester United Farewell Speech
Robin van Persie had no words for his former Manchester United and Netherlands manager Louis van Gaal as he said his farewells to English football.
The 31-year-old forward has completed a deal to join Fenerbahce from the Red Devils and as is standard practice, was quick to thank plenty of parties at his unveiling. But despite being effusive in his praise for the United players and club's executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward, there was no mention of Van Gaal, per Adrian Kajumba of the Daily Mirror:
"I had a really good moment with the players just before I left. Everyone in the squad showed me that they had appreciated my time at United. That was enough for me to leave with the right feeling.
Let me please add one more person to thank. I highly appreciate the work of [executive vice-chairman] Ed Woodward in this transfer. He was the man who was very classy in all this. A true gentleman.
Ed, if you are listening or watching, thank you!
"
Despite Van Persie going on to claim he leaves United with “no hard feelings,” the absence of Van Gaal’s name from his outpouring of gratitude was peculiar. The manner in which the Dutchman made a point of thanking Woodward certainly raised plenty of eyebrows.
Here's a listen to what the striker had to say, per audioboom.com:
And Van Persie even took to social media to thank the supporters of his former club, Arsenal, who have showered him with invective ever since the striker made the switch to United in 2012:
If there has been a deterioration in the relationship between Van Persie and Van Gaal, it’s not been well documented.
When the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss joined United last summer, many expected the Oranje striker to become the Dutchman’s captain at Old Trafford, per Sky Sports. Although Wayne Rooney was handed the armband, Van Gaal seemed an ideal figure to expedite an upturn in form for the player.
As Squawka Football reminds us here, at his best, Van Persie is one of the finest finishers in the game:
You suspect if Van Persie had been fit and firing, Van Gaal would have afforded him the chance to lead this United line. But injuries blotted Van Persie’s campaign and after stumbling upon a system which saw Rooney at the point of the Red Devils attack, the former Arsenal man struggled to get a look in.
Perhaps the two men have said their goodbyes in private. Perhaps Van Persie thinks Van Gaal would be uncomfortable with such open adulation. But with neither man shy when it comes to expressing opinions, if there is an issue between the two, it won’t take long for one of the pair to speak openly about it.
