Robin van Persie was the real positive from Manchester United's win over Cardiff City

Robin van Persie

In all the Juan Mata fuelled euphoria before United’s game against Cardiff City on Tuesday night, there was a return of a certain Dutch striker. Ask most Man United fans what the problem has been this season and while there’s every chance they could reel off a long list of reasons as to why the champions are so far off the pace this season, many will cite the absence of Robin van Persie has the main cause of their demise.

Van Persie was more than just United’s top scorer last season, he was their talisman, the one who led the line and who most of their attacking play ran through- even Wayne Rooney played second fiddle to RvP. This season has been something of a nightmare for both Van Persie and David Moyes as the striker has missed much of the campaign through injury while his side have seen the sort of form you’d associate with a mid-table team.

It took all of five and a half minutes for Van Persie to remind everyone just how valuable he is to this United side as he opened the scoring and eradicated the first half jitters that have often plagued the champions this season.

One major plus Van Persie brings to the United side – and one that’s been sorely missed of late- is his ability to clear the danger from set-pieces. United have struggled to defend corners this season on so many occasions that when the opposition win one the fear among the fans is almost tangible. Against Cardiff Van Persie made two vital clearances from the back, something that the Reds won’t be taking for granted, given their recent travails.

Van Persie Clearances vs Cardiff: Highlights his role when defending set-pieces

It may sound crazy but speaking as a United fan, I didn’t realise just how good Van Persie was when he was at Arsenal, yes I’d seen him show his class on occasions and he’d always been a thorn in our side, but when you see him week in week out you truly appreciate him. Tuesday night was a timely reminder of just how good Van Persie can be and watching him skip past Cardiff players while holding off challenges simply underlined that for all the Mata hype, it’s the Dutchman that’s key to United’ season.

Van Persie Take-ons vs Cardiff

It wasn’t a vintage performance from United or even Van Persie for that matter- if you’ll pardon the unintended pun- but it’s a step in the right direction that could lead to that coveted fourth spot that surely represents Moyes’ minimum requirement.