From the moment dashes of wisdom white began to emerge upon the peripheries of Robin van Persie’s hairline – most likely due to the stress caused by David Moyes’ nightmare 10 months at Old Trafford – it always felt like the beginning of the end for the Manchester United striker.
Of course, not all of us are lucky enough to reach our 30s without succumbing to inevitable signs of age and many would argue the Netherlands international should feel fortunate he’s cursed by grey hair and not the considerably less envious baldness of strike partner Wayne Rooney.
Yet, those grey streaks, sharply juxtaposing the jet-black shade of his Arsenal years, symbolise so perfectly how RVP had reached the end of his footballing peak and entered into the decline. Next month he’ll turn 32 and amid links with a move to Fenerbahce, Oranje’s all-time leading goal scorer has reached the last major crossroads of his career.
Verging upon the realms of veterancy, for both Manchester United and RVP himself, now is the right time to part company.
Scoring goals has never been Van Persie’s problem; even over the last two seasons – campaigns disrupted by unprecedented change at Old Trafford and relentless injury problems – he’s managed to hit double figures in the Premier League, bringing his United total to 57 goals in 105 appearances.
The older he’s got, however, the more limited the Dutchman’s game has become. At Arsenal, he started off as a winger/forward, with the pace and trickery to play out wide. During his first season at Manchester United, the 6 foot 2 striker described himself as a 9.5 – combining the roles of a centre-forward and a supporting No.9. But last season, RVP appeared only truly useful in a single capacity; hitting the onion bag on a one-in-three-game basis.
If you’re going to impact games in just one way, it may as well be scoring goals, especially if you’re doing it with as much style and technical mastery as the United forward. But a lack of penetration going forward plagued the Red Devils last season and the former Gunners man, in addition to loan flop Radamel Falcao, was amongst the biggest culprits. He lacks the pace to stretch defences, the strength to hold them off or the power to burst through them – which renders you pretty useless in the modern age of one-up-front formations.
Van Persie has always been one for perfection – which I say as an eyewitness of his legendary volley against my beloved Charlton many moons ago – but there became a watershed moment when every delivery had to be pin-point for the striker to make any remote use of it. Although that was never an issue during his Golden Boot winning season under Sir Alex Ferguson, United’s more turbulent form under Moyes and Louis van Gaal made the striker’s dependency on world-class service from midfield disturbingly noticeable. When it’s not provided – and consequentially, when RVP doesn’t score – the Red Devils might as well be playing with ten men.
There aren’t too many world class deliverers at Fenerbahce. But at the very least, Van Persie will be spearheading a side prepared to accept his imperfections, his limits and of course, his never-ending injury problems – providing its offset by a strong tally of goals.
That too, is a significant factor in United apparently deciding to let RVP go. It’s become harder and harder to justify the striker’s salary, believed to be within the region of £12million per year, if he’s sidelined for significant portions of every season, as he has been for the last two. Now into the final twelve months of his Old Trafford contract, it seems unlikely the forward and his club would be able to reach a consensus on future earnings without resorting to an extension submerged in pay-as-you-play clauses. When even a close friend like Van Gaal isn’t interested in entertaining negotiations, the striker must know he no longer represents good value for money.
Not that this spells the end of RVP. The Turkish league is an improving one with a recurring knack for attracting ageing stars. Didier Drogba enjoyed some enchanting Champions League moments during his 18 months with Galatasaray, countryman Wesley Snjeider – also of Gala – is the flagship talent of the division and Van Persie will be well acquainted with Fenerbahce’s most recent acquisition, former United man Nani. In a top flight not so enriched with football’s best athletes, the Dutchman’s technical quality could serve him well for another three or four years.
But most important for the striker is next summer’s European Championship; ensuring his starting status is maintained for what will likely be his last hurrah on the world stage. In theory, an easier task in the Fenerbahce starting XI than on the Old Trafford bench. Whilst it’ll be a shame to no longer see him ripple nets in the Premier League, a final act of world-class netting prowess at France 2016 seems well worth the year-long wait.
[ad_pod id=’ricco’ align=’center’]