Manchester United striker Robin van Persie reveals why he questions managers' methods

Robin van Persie: why do you do this Moyes?

Manchester Untied striker Robin van Persie has revealed why he never stops questioning the manager under whom he works. The striker has had a troubled relationship off-late with the new Manchester United boss David Moyes and he recently even publicly stated that he is unhappy with the tactics that have been used by the Scot.

Although Persie has defended his actions suggesting that he did not mean to be critical of Moyes, instead he has insisted that it’s part of his learning process and the immense love for the game which makes him question the manager.

“As I have got older and more experienced, I have become more sensitive to what my coaches are doing,” said the Dutchman. I want to know why we are we doing this or why are we training like that.

“I did not ask those kinds of questions when I was a young player, but now I find it interesting to study why my coaches are making certain decisions. I want to know why they do things and why they say things to the players, and why they want to play a certain way.

“I think much more about all those things at this stage of my career. I watch the managerial process all of the time. I have had a lot of changes in coaches over the last couple of seasons.

“I was eight years with Arsene Wenger, at Arsenal, and, with Holland, it was a similar steady situation with Bert van Marwijk. Now, in the last 18 months, I changed from Arsene to Sir Alex and now to David Moyes. With Holland, after Van Marwijk, I have Louis van Gaal, who is a fantastic coach.

“I won’t put one above the other, but I have learnt really good things from each one of them. Certain managers can hit the right nerve with a player. They have that quality.

“I still love my football like crazy. I know there are players who won’t watch a game at all when they are away from football, but I do nothing else but watch games on the telly.

“To me, a good match is like a good movie.”

The Dutchman has also accepted that the physical nature of the game in the Premier League has taken its toll on his body, and he has started to feel it, while admitting to the immense cerebral interest that he has towards the game. The 30-year-old has been plagued with injuries in his second season at Manchester United, a problem he had for most part of his time with the Gunners.

“I can’t say whether I am physically stronger now than four years ago or whether I am weaker,” said Van Persie. We all have pains and aches, but I am convinced that, for every player in the Premier League, it is a struggle to keep fit for a full year.

“The intensity in England cannot be compared to any other football country in the world. We have double cup competitions and, if your team is in Europe and you play international games, the workload is incredible. I can never stroll through a game. I play – it’s that kind of intensity.

“After 99 out of 100 matches, I am totally exhausted because I want to give everything I have. I will never moan about it. I have to handle it like all the other players, but I can tell you that top-level sport is not really healthy.”