GBAM!!! Robin van Persie was the catalyst for Manchester Uniteds 20th league title and immediately felt at home when he arrived at Old Trafford from Arsenal in 2012. But all is not rosy in the garden. The Dutchmans last two performances have not been great, and amid a host of rumours, one wonders if he will still be in Manchester this time next year. United boss David Moyes could make an enormous statement of intent by dropping him against Liverpool this weekend. - Rooney: Liverpool, City success hurts - Okwonga: Can Cleverley be excused this season? Records tumbled before Van Persie last year. He finished the season having scored more than any other striker in his first season at United. He also completed the remarkable feat of being the top scorer in the division two seasons running with two separate clubs. Over the past 30 months, Van Persie has been one of the most lethal strikers on the planet. But his career has been a lot longer than that. The Dutchman started 35 league games for United last time out and 37 in his last campaign at Arsenal. However, the story before that contained far more frustration than fanfare. In only one of his previous seasons in England did Van Persie start more than 20 league games. Injury kept him sidelined periodically through a seven-year period. It is a theme that has returned this season. Just 11 months ago, there were flags waving in the Stretford End emblazoned with the slogan Welcome to Vanchester. As such, it may be sacrilegious to say so, but United might have already seen the best of their 25 million pound striker. His body has begun to wobble again, and he missed two consecutive months over Christmas for what, at the time, seemed like an innocuous injury. When this is laid next to his dubious comments post-Olympiakos and his strop at being substituted against West Bromwich Albion, it makes the irreplaceable look, well, replaceable. Van Persie has scored 11 times in 16 starts for United this time out. That number makes him Uniteds equal top scorer alongside Wayne Rooney, who has started 21 games. When Van Persie spoke about others being in his zone against Olympiakos, he must have been speaking about Rooney. If the two are compared in cold terms, then Rooney is younger, has a better injury record and has just signed a new contract. This puts Van Persie in a difficult position. Along with Rio Ferdinand, Van Persies performances this season have been far below his own high standards, and it certainly appeared at the weekend that he was letting down his teammates. Upon replacing him after 60 minutes at the Hawthorns, Danny Welbeck injected more running and urgency into Uniteds play and lifted the team. He might not have the same deftness of touch as Van Persie, but he is no slouch. The Mancunian has scored nine times from just 12 starts and is having his best season to date for United. In addition, Welbeck has shown great understanding with both Adnan Januzaj and Rooney when they have been on the field together. If the three of them can dovetail without being upset about entering each others zones, then United should be just fine. This time last year, Sir Alex Ferguson dropped Rooney for the biggest game of the season against Real Madrid, and it seemed his time at Old Trafford was coming to an end. Rooney, under Moyes, has survived and turned the tables. With Liverpool visiting Manchester this weekend, an enormous fixture gives Moyes a tricky decision to make. If Van Persie is shaping up to be as undisciplined and lacklustre as he was last weekend, he must be dropped from the starting 11. Whether or not Welbeck replaces him on Sunday, Van Persie needs to convince the United faithful that he still wants to be a part of the team. If not, Welbeck will be ready to take his place. And the Red Devils will march on.
Posted on: Thu, 13 Mar 2014 06:41:50 +0000
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