Robin van Persie: Manchester United's "_____________"

ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS – MAY 30: Robin van Persie of Netherlands jogs during the International Friendly between the Netherlands and Slovakia at De Kuip Stadion on May 30, 2012 in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

If we go by the cliched phrase loaded with extra cheese and toppings, then Robin van Persie is the final piece in Manchester United‘s jigsaw. But on the contrary, he is rather the jigsaw than a final piece that solves this puzzle.

The 23 million pounds deal carries a lot of weight on his 29 year old hamstrings. The purists will question whether 23 million pounds is the going rate in the transfer market for loyalty. “He scores when he wants,” will be relabeled and sold in a new vinyl cover. North Londoners will defend this transfer with limited club finances and Financial Fair Play rules like a broken record.

The excitement levels among the United fans are so high that they are hoping that Robin van Persie would unlock bonus levels for Manchester United, who struck out in all cup competitions last season.

Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie: A combination that could work only in a fantasy game has now become a reality. Robin van Persie and Rooney shared 71 goals between them last season. Old Trafford hasn’t seen such a deadly strike pairing since the days Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole, who were part of the historic ’99 treble win.

Sir Alex Ferguson has pulled off a casting coup for this season. This multi-starrer blockbuster can only sink in case of a script gone awry. van Persie heightens the competition for places at United. Every star will be eyeing for more screen-time than a bit part role.

A bigger question that needs to be addressed immediately is for how long Sir Alex will be managing the club?

Signing the 18 year old, Angelo Henriques, can be taken as a sly hint from Sir Alex staying for longer than most United fans think. But when was the last time Alex Ferguson bought a 29 old striker? Only Berbatov comes close and most fans felt it was a mistake and some still do.

However, the similarities that Berbatov and van Persie share are endless. Both the players turned down Manchester City for a lower salary package when they were 28 years old and both don’t rely on pace.

Sir Alex’s latest move raises questions over whether he will extend his contract at the end of this season, because he has been on a 12-month rolling contract since 2004. If he is planning to plunder the trophy cabinets from Manchester to London, then there is no better opportunity than this.

The talk of Sir Alex taking advantage over Robin van Persie’s desire to leave Arsenal is moot. The manager, however, would have instead engineered the move before the season has even ended on May 13th.

On May 9th, talkSPORT – Britain’s independent national radio broadcaster – came out with an exclusive news on their website that read: “Man United set to make sensational move for Arsenal star.”

Quite expectedly, it was received very badly by the readers and one of them commented: “yeah ok lol.”

If this “exclusive” wasn’t called a bluff, van Persie wouldn’t have waited till July to clarify his position.

The last Dutch striker to play for Manchester United was Ruud van Nistelrooy. Robin van Persie, who turned 29 this month, should find inspiration from his compatriot and fill in the blank above with, “The Dutch goal-scoring machine”.