Can Manchester United survive without Robin van Persie?

Juan Mata and Robin van Persie celebrating a goal

It seems Manchester United can’t catch a break at the moment.

Just days after fighting back against Olympiakos to clinch Champions League progression, David Moyes watched his side drawn against holders Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals before learning that Robin Van Persie is set for a spell on the sidelines for a period of up to six weeks.

The Dutchman scored his first Champions League hat-trick to secure a 3-0 win at Old Trafford and turn around the shock 2-0 defeat suffered in Greece. Van Persie, who recorded a Squawka Performance Score of 104, looked to be back to his predatory best.

Given his performance, this will be all the more difficult for Moyes to swallow when it was revealed the injury that forced the striker off during the closing minutes of the match on Wednesday night was worse than the club originally thought.

The focus will now turn to the likes of Danny Welbeck and Juan Mata, in the absence of Van Persie, but can either of them fill the void left behind by the 30-year-old Dutchman?

Van Persie Goals Score

Welbeck is the obvious replacement and is the only recoginsed striker available to play alongside Wayne Rooney, with Javier Hernandez also currently out injured.

The England striker is currently enjoying his joint-best season in front of goal with nine goals in 19 league appearances, just two fewer than Van Persie – although, he has played one more game than the Netherlands international.

Welbeck Appearances

The 23-year-old has played the full 90 minutes on just seven occasions in the league this term and has endured an intermittent season, having missed 10 league games and five Champions League games.

The last time Welbeck started a game was the 3-1 defeat away at Chelsea, during which he played as the lone striker in the absence of Rooney and Van Persie. It’s now likely that Moyes will opt to use Welbeck as the out-and-out striker with Rooney in behind him as a number 10, which would be the most obvious solution to Van Persie’s forced absence.

Welbeck has shown his ability in front of goal this season and maintains a Squawka Performance Score of 383. He has created 10 chances in total, including one assist, and has a respectable shot accuracy of 50%. To expect him to replace Van Persie directly is not fair on the young striker, though, as the two are very different types of players.

Welbeck Action Areas vs Chelsea

The England international is much more willing to charge players down and work off the ball than his more experienced teammate. Even in terms of on-the-ball actions, a look at his action areas from his last league start conveys the ground Welbeck covers entails almost all areas of the pitch. The context of the game plays a part as Chelsea largely dominated, but it’s unlikely that Van Persie would have covered as much ground or explored as many different areas.

However, Moyes has more options than he did at Stamford Bridge back in January thanks to the addition of Mata during the transfer window.

With Rooney able to move further forward, the United boss has the option of using Mata in a more central role in behind the striker. This could be an option Moyes is willing to explore given that Rooney is the clubs top goal scorer with 13 goals across the Premier League and Champions League.

Mata Chances Created

Mata is already United’s joint third most creative player in the league this season despite having only made seven appearances. Only Rooney, Patrice Evra and Adnan Januzaj have created more opportunities, with only Rooney having registered more assists.

Van Persie’s injury at a time when he looked to have returned to somewhere near his best form is a massive blow for United. But in Welbeck and Mata, Moyes has options to choose from. Ultimately, whether they can cope with their loss remains to be seen.