Is Robin van Persie’s injury the break that Manchester United needed?

Robin van Persie will miss at least six weeks due to injury

Manchester United striker Robin van Persie is back on the sidelines after an injury picked up against Olymipakos ruling him out for at least six weeks. Van Persie, who scored an amazing hat-trick against the Greek side in the Champions League, is set to miss some important games like the Manchester Derby and the Champions League quarter-final games against Bayern Munich but United fans need not panic as the team is capable of managing without him.

Truth be told, Van Persie did create a bit of a problem when he arrived at Old Trafford as Shinji Kagawa was forced to play out of position. The midfielder was all set to play as a number 10 behind Wayne Rooney but his hopes of playing in his preferred role were dashed with the arrival of the Dutchman.

Manchester United manager David Moyes deploys Kagawa on the left side of the midfield, which is the same position he occupies for the Japan national team, but the midfielder is not as effective in that role. Kagawa did well against West Ham, playing the full 90 minutes, and linked up well with Rooney and Mata. The 4-2-3-1 formation allowed the Japanese play maker to get into areas that a 4-4-2 formation would not allow. In spite of his brilliance, you can’t judge a player after just one performance so Kagawa will have to work a little more in order to get the attention of David Moyes.

Since Mata is cup tied this season Kagawa has a perfect chance to prove his magic as a number 10 behind Wayne Rooney. Personally, I’m a huge fan of Kagawa so I hope he comes good. Similar problems were created for new signing Juan Mata as he is another player who thrives behind the striker and not on the wings. Moyes used the 4-2-3-1 formation where he preferred Rooney as the number 10 and not the former Chelsea man. However, in the game against West Ham United Rooney played as the lone striker while Mata played as the number 10 and actually thrived in that role.

The 25-year-old buzzed all over the pitch like a bee and set up 5 opportunities for his team mates along with linking up very well with Rooney and Kagawa. Mata couldn’t provide one of his famous assists this time but can pat himself on the back as stats showed that he touched the ball 66 times and completed 94% of his passes before he was substituted. With Van Persie absent for the game against Manchester City, Mata has a glorious chance to shine behind Rooney against their derby rivals.

Wayne Rooney, who wore the captain’s armband against the Hammers, can shine as a lone striker in the absence of Van Persie. The Englishman is blessed with good movement and linked up excellently with Mata, Young and Kagawa. If the players put in the same amount of consistency in the game against City then they could cause them some problems.

Danny Welbeck also has something to gain from Van Persie’s absence. The lanky striker formed a good partnership with Wayne Rooney in the 2011-2012 season, managing to score an impressive 12 goals before he lost his place to the Dutchman in the summer of 2012. The 23-year-old was mostly played out of position due to the arrival of Van Persie and only managed to score a paltry 2 goals in the 2012-2013 season. The striker has bounced back this term and has managed to score 10 goals in 25 appearances. Most of his goals, including the brace against Aston Villa, came in the festive period when Van Persie was out with an injury.

Robin van Persie’s injury is only temporary and he will be back again in a few weeks. But if the squad can cope well in his absence, it will give David Moyes something to think about the next time he picks a formation. A less conservative David Moyes is something every Manchester United fan wants to see in the future.