Why Selling Robin Van Persie Is Exactly the Right Move by Manchester United
Manchester United are heading into the new season without Robin van Persie, but fans of the club need not mourn his loss.
Van Persie's professional and likable demeanour and the memories of his stellar first nine months at United lead to a sense that he will be missed. Watching his unveiling in front of Fenerbahce's fans plucked at the heartstrings, as did his interview with Jonathan Northcroft in the Sunday Times.
In that interview, Van Persie laid out the case for his defence, pointing to an ankle injury and attributing it to "extreme tiredness." He also offered thinly veiled criticisms of Louis van Gaal: "I knew Louis as a national team coach and now I get to know him as a club coach. And there is a difference."
Talking about the injury and its management, he said:
"That was one of the little tricks of Arsene [Wenger] and Sir Alex [Ferguson]. Sir Alex would know exactly how to handle Rio [Ferdinand] or Giggsy or Scholesy. That's how they played on so long. Arsene knew exactly how he would manage [Denis] Bergkamp.
That is a managing skill and not every coach has that skill.
"
When Van Persie talks about Sir Alex prolonging the top-level career, it is hard not to empathise with a man who thought he was trusting his longevity to one of the best but was denied by circumstance. Van Persie did not sign up for four managers in three seasons; rather, he signed up to play for Sir Alex.
However, as he admits about Van Gaal's decision to bench him, "These things are part of football, part of life. You have to make the best out of any situation so I'm doing this by moving on."
Even though many fans still hold him in high esteem, the time is right for United to rebuild without Van Persie. Even if his downturn was circumstantial rather than an indicator of permanent decline, he has been in poor form for the majority of the past two seasons.
Twelve league goals in the David Moyes season and 10 under Van Gaal are way-below-par returns for a player of his ability. The prior two seasons—his last at Arsenal and his first at United—were the best of his career. With 30 league goals for Wenger and 26 league goals for Ferguson, Van Persie established his credentials as one of the game's best No. 9s.
Those were also the seasons in which he was least troubled by injury. In many ways, the past two injury-hit seasons have been a reversion to the mean for him, not necessarily in goal numbers but in minutes on the pitch.
His form has not justified his wages or status since Sir Alex retired.
United are a team in transition at the moment. Photographs of Van Persie celebrating United's 20th title are full of players who are no longer at the club. Since Van Gaal arrived, 11 players have been brought in, and it seems likely that number will increase before September.
Van Gaal has two tasks on his to-do list during his time at United. The first is to win the league, and the second is to leave the next manager with a squad more ready for the rigours of transition than the squad Sir Alex left for Moyes.
Van Persie may have helped in the former of those tasks, but given his age and injury record, it seems unlikely he could have helped much with the latter.
For him to stay at the club, the first XI would have had to be built around him. He and Wayne Rooney apparently got along well, according to his interview with Northcroft, but the two men never struck up much in the way of an on-field partnership.
In Van Persie's first season at United, Rooney was peripheral, so much so that Sir Alex said he asked to leave the club. Under Moyes, Rooney was the main man. Under Van Gaal, the arrival of Radamel Falcao further complicated the problem.
Rooney often played in midfield to no great effect. Van Persie got plenty of minutes—perhaps too many, given the injuries he suffered—but was unable to make them count.
Received wisdom has been that Van Gaal will play with only one No. 9 this season. Given the new arrivals in midfield, there does not seem to be a place for Rooney. Thus, Rooney and Van Persie—two senior, highly paid members of the squad—would have been battling it out for one spot.
Of the two, Van Gaal, like Moyes before him, has hitched his wagon to Rooney's star. Moyes did so through relentless praise in press conferences and post-match interviews. Van Gaal did so by giving Rooney the captaincy and insisting that came with an automatic right to selection.
There could have been room for both had Van Gaal played the 4-4-1-1 he deployed against Club America, with Rooney at No. 10 and Van Persie at No. 9. However, with all of the talent available to potentially play in that No. 10 role, moving on from Van Persie and playing Rooney up front makes plenty of sense.
For all of his—often justified—critics, Rooney has a superb record in terms of being available for selection. He has also done well in terms of goals scored when consistently played at No. 9. He is more positionally flexible than Van Persie.
Although he is probably a notch below in terms of out-and-out goalscoring ability, Rooney's fitness record and flexibility mean it seems sensible to keep him if it is a straight fight between the two.
Van Persie is still far too good to be on the bench. But United are rebuilding, and relying on a player who has been unable to find his best form or consistent fitness for two full seasons would have been a huge gamble.
There is also the matter of his relationship with his former national team manager. It is not a huge leap to read between the lines and sense a frostiness. Given Van Gaal's larger-than-life persona, having players who are on board with his plans will be key to success.
There was hope Van Gaal's arrival would revitalise Van Persie and help mend the broken heart he suffered when Sir Alex retired. Instead, a season later, Van Persie is gone.
The memories come thick and fast when looking back on his time at United. What is clear, though, is that almost all the good ones have him wearing that gingham home kit—or the dental hygienist-esque collar of the white away kit—of the 2012/13 season.
Since then, there have been a couple of stellar moments, but by and large, Van Persie has looked like a shadow of his former self.
So, a team in transition, a player too good to be on the bench but too inconsistent to lead the line. A player and manager who no longer see eye to eye and a system where there would be just one place available and two highly paid options to fill it.
The time was right for United to let Van Persie go. It is hard for those fans who feel great affection for him, but they can at least find comfort in those remarkable memories of a magical first season.
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