Various reports that Robin Van Persie is set to leave Manchester United have emerged.
The Dutch striker, who the Red Devils purchased from Arsenal for $40 million back in August 2012, has been in a poor run of form for Manchester United over the last few weeks.
However, his goal against Hull City on Saturday, which was part of a 3-0 win for Manchester United, dispelled the rumors that this loss of form was permanent.
Earlier this week, after Robin Van Persie had put in such an abject display against Arsenal that even his coach, Louis Van Gaal, publicly criticized him, various stories started to pop up that Manchester United were considering selling the Dutch striker.
According to the Guardian , Robin Van Persie’s most likely destination is Internazionale. Their new manager, Roberto Mancini, previously tried to sign Van Persie from Arsenal while he was at Manchester City. Unfortunately for the Italian, the forward decided to go to Old Trafford instead. However, it is thought that he might have a better chance of capturing Van Persie this summer.
Van Persie’s contract runs out in 2016, and it is believed that a figure of around $16 million would convince Manchester United to part with his services.
If Robin Van Persie did decide to leave Manchester United without any protest from the club itself, it would be a dramatic fall of grace for the forward. Van Persie’s signature was seen as the main reason why Manchester United won the Premier League title in 2012/2013, after their cross-city rivals had claimed it the season before.
But the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson, the arrival of David Moyes, his loss of form, and frequent injuries last season left him a shadow of the player he was.
Robin Van Persie has so far struggled once again in the 2014/2015 campaign. In fact, against Arsenal last weekend, he only touched the ball 13 times, and this led Van Gaal to declared that he’d had a “ very bad game .”
The arrival of Angel di Maria, Radamel Falcao and the emergence of James Wilson means that Manchester United have a bevy of attacking options at their disposal, which could convince them to sell Van Persie. While Robin Van Persie is clearly just as talented as either of his compatriots, the fact that he is 31-years-old means that he is considerably older than each of them. United might decided to cash in on his talent, rather than waiting for them to peter out instead.
[Image via BP]