There were several raised eyebrows when Sir Alex Ferguson decided to splash £24m on Robin Van Persie this summer, with some people surprised considering the fact that the Dutchman is 29-years-old. However, following a terrific start to his Old Trafford career, such concerns have evaporated and Fergie has already moved to express his delight about his big summer buy.
After managing to score his first goal for the club in last week’s 3-2 victory over Fulham, it would be fair to say that RVP had an even bigger impact in United’s most recent outing. Even though the Red Devils found themselves behind on more than one occasion against Southampton, Van Persie still managed a hat trick to gift the team victory and allow for a reasonable points tally ahead of the international break. All of these goals came despite the fact that he missed a penalty, which would have quite easily killed the form of some players.
After making such an impression, his manager has been quick to lavish the praise on the former Arsenal striker. Speaking to the press after the Southampton win, Ferguson said, “His first goal was magnificent – the control and then to bury it. It was a really good goal. His header was excellent too, but he has been a terrific player for us. I was surprised [at Van Persie’s spot-lick] because every time I have seen him take a penalty he rattles it in the corners. He made up for it, though. He had six attempts on goal and was a real threat.”
The form of Van Persie has certainly made many take their mind of Wayne Rooney’s injury. There were many concerns when the England international was ruled out for such a lengthy period of time last week, yet RVP’s form suggests that Ferguson won’t miss Rooney quite as much as he first thought.