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Former Manchester United midfielder Luke Chadwick supports the idea of the club bringing in Robin van Persie as Erik ten Hag's assistant coach should the club appoint the latter as manager.
Ten Hag is heavily tipped to become the Red Devils' next manager, with The Telegraph reporting that talks with the Ajax coach are at an advanced stage. Metro has reported that Ten Hag has opened talks with former United striker Van Persie over joining his backroom staff at Old Trafford.
Chadwick is in support of the former Arsenal star taking a coaching role at the club. He told CaughtOffside:
“I think it certainly helps having a player of Robin van Persie’s popularity at the club coming in to support the new manager.”
Van Persie spent three years at Manchester United, winning the Premier League in Sir Alex Ferguson's last season (2012-13) in charge. Since then, the Red Devils have largely struggled. This season, they have bowed out of all cup competitions and face an uphill battle to secure a top-four finish.
Chadwick believes Van Persie joining Ten Hag at the 13-time Premier League winners could bring about a huge transformation, helping the club return to the top of English football. He continued:
"Something needs to change at United. The club have gone backwards since last season when they finished second in the league and then lost the Europa League final. Now they were knocked out of the first knockout round of the Champions League and are struggling to get in the top four."
He added:
"There’s a lot of work for Ten Hag to do, but I think it would be a popular decision, especially with Van Persie there too. Let’s hope he's given time to build a new dynasty at the club.”
Robin van Persie's experience at Manchester United could help Erik ten Hag
Despite spending most of his playing days at Arsenal, Van Persie hit the ground running at Manchester United.
In his first season at the club, he became a fan favourite and was instrumental in securing Ferguson a league-winning end to his legendary managerial career. The Dutch striker scored 26 goals in 38 appearances in the 2012-13 Premier League campaign, running away with the Golden Boot award.
Van Persie's experience at Old Trafford could be hugely beneficial to Ten Hag, who would want to gain an understanding of how the club functions.
Many fans and even members of the Manchester United board are somewhat worried about Ten Hag's lack of Premier League experience, but Van Persie has that in abundance.
It could prove to be a similar appointment to the way in which Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola brought Mikel Arteta into his coaching set-up when he arrived in England.
