Manchester United Sign Rob Van Persie

George | August 16, 2012 | 0 Comments

Manchester United has pulled off a huge transfer just days before the start of the Barclay’s Premiership. They have agreed to a transfer with rivals Arsenal in what is said to be worth about £20 million ($31.4 Million US) for Dutch striker Rob Van Persie.

Van Persie has been with Arsenal since 2004 and has scored 96 goals in 194 appearances. His time in the Premiership has included several injury riddled seasons, but he is coming off his best personal year. He scored 30 goals and chipped in 13 assists in 38 appearances for Arsne Wegner’s squad. He led Arsenal in scoring 4 times and selected as the teams top player twice. His 30 goals last season also earned him the league’s Golden Boot Award for top goal scorer. Van Persie has helped to lead the Netherlands in the last decade along with Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder, among others. Their accomplishments include a 2nd Place finish in the 2010 World Cup. He has scored 29 goals in 68 appearances for his national team.

How will Van Persie fit in at ManU? He is no stranger to playing alongside great scorers. He played with Thierry Henry his first couple seasons with Arsenal. His national team is also stacked on the front end with playmakers. United is not far removed from the Ronaldo, Rooney, Tevez trio that was able to dominate on the world stage. Sir Alex Ferguson has made a few moves this year and this action shows the club’s insistence on remaining an elite team on the pitch. He will have an option to allow Rooney to play his rover style position from mid-field to the penalty box or keep him up front because of Van Persie’s ability in the open field. There certainly can be a concern that there will not be enough goals to go around with Rooney and RVP scoring a combined 57 goals last year. If Rooney can be reminded of the greatness the Red Devils experienced with him and Ronaldo sharing the spot light then this team can be very successful and win their 20th top division english league championship. Also, maybe they can make amends for last year’s atrocious Euro showing.

The new player is 29 years of age, so this can not be an experiment but must be immediately successful for it to work out. It will be up to Fergie to create a great atmosphere and promote a healthy relationship for his striker heavy squad. Only time will tell if this was a championship move or a last grasp for greatness by a manager on his way out.