Manchester United's Robin van Persie: Up, up, away and gone!

The Dutch frontman has struggled to find form this season for the Red Devils

Social media is buzzing with chants of GGMU and Manchester is Red. It was indeed a moment to cheer for the Red Devils, as they regained their supremacy over the city of Manchester in a thumping 4-2 win over their neighbours.

But amidst all this, there have been reports of Manchester United offering 5 million pounds to offload Robin van Persie; there has been growing interest for the Dutchman from Juventus and Inter Milan. It is quite unfortunate for a striker like Van Persie to take a pay cut in order to have game time. Current coach Luis van Gaal has been a great admirer of the striker, but as things stand, United seem keen to sell the out-of-form striker.

RvP’s mercurial rise through the ranks

Van Persie arrived at the north London club from Feyenoord in the 2004-05 season. Having had several rifts with the gaffer, Van Marwijk, the move was imminent. Ultimately, Arsenal managed to secure the services of the striker.

The Dutchman won the Community shield and the FA Cup in his first season with Arsenal. Unfortunately, however, those were the only two pieces of silverware that adorned his cabinet till he left for Manchester United.

He had always been prone to niggles that would rule him out for weeks, sometimes months, but he still retained the support of the entire team. There had been growing unrest among the fans, but Arsene Wenger doggedly defended his star striker.

Robin van Persie became a cult hero at Arsenal

2012 – Van Persie at his peak

Wenger had recruited the ex- Feyenoord man as a long term replacement for Dennis Bergkamp. In the next season, he was crowned the Player of the Month in November. After the departure of Henry, Bergkamp and Fabregas, Van Persie was made the captain.

Without a formidable partner up front, he undertook the sole responsibility to find the net for Arsenal. He went on to score 132 goals for the Gunners, thereby etching his name as the eighth highest scorer for the club.

Of the eight seasons he spent at Arsenal, only the 2011-12 season was an injury-free one. And what a season it was – RvP was crowned as the Premier League’s top scorer with 30 goals for the Gunners. But facing a severe trophy drought, he started questioning the coach’s lack of ambition. Finally, in August 2012, he signed for stiff rivals Manchester United.

Van Persie carried on his brilliant performances at Old Trafford and helped them win the 2012-13 league title. United fans voted him the Sir Matt Busby Player of the season, and he was even nominated for the Best European player award.

All that glitters is not gold

Till 2012-13, everything seemed to be hunky-dory for the Dutch striker. In the next season too, despite neighbours Manchester City winning the league, it was a good season for Van Persie who scored in his first game of the season.

But 2015 has been a sad tale for RvP. He has struggled for fitness after suffering an ankle injury in January and consequently, he has been out of first team action for quite some time now.

United are in excellent form and currently stand third, one point below Arsenal. There is a considerable amount of strike force in the Red Devils repertoire. Rooney, Falcao, Di Maria, Young, Fellaini, Mata – goal scoring options are aplenty for Man United.

Amidst all the glory, Robin van Persie remains a distant memory for the club. He arrived just two seasons ago and won the league in his first season. That man today lies in ignominy, having failed to recuperate well enough from an ankle injury. The club seems to have decided to remove him from the roster already; in fact, they are reportedly ready to offer cash to allow him to leave.

The Dutch striker seems on the brink of a Manchester United exit

Tough times for the Flying Dutchman

Arsene Wenger never really wanted to let go of Van Persie. He was extremely tolerant even when the latter would be out for months. But the Dutchman was adamant in his desire to leave in search for trophies. He was reaching his prime and had not yet won a major trophy. That triggered his move away from the north London side, and his dream was realized in the first season itself with United. But after that, there has been only despair.

Arsenal have brought in big names and sit at second place with league leaders Chelsea in sight. The Manchester teams, on the other hand, are still in a tussle to seal the spot for direct qualification to the Champions League. A yearning to rake in silverware led Van Persie to a successful season, but that success was quite short-lived. At the moment, he is struggling to find form, and in hindsight, the transfer seems like a move lacking foresight.

From being champions, United went down to seventh in the next season. Van Persie missed Champions League football for the first time since making a move from Feyenoord; that was a regular feature of even a depleted Arsenal side. Now, the side have changed their physiotherapist and are at a better position than Man United. At 31, Van Persie could have easily been part of the Gunners who are well on course to achieve another FA Cup feat, if not the league title.

It remains to be seen if the Dutchman can find his form elsewhere and redeem some of his pride. He has been a prolific goal scorer for both Arsenal and United, but a bad injury has made everything go haywire. Regrettably, Manchester United do not seem to be as patient as Arsenal in this regard. In order to strengthen their squad, they are reportedly resorting to extreme measures to offload the striker.

These are bad times for the once Premier League top scorer. One can only hope that he reclaims his flying feet and starts finding the back of the net again soon.