Manchester United FC is one of the most successful clubs in England and also in the world of soccer. Legendary Manchester United player Robin van Persie once disclosed that Sir Alex Ferguson had threatened to bench his top players if they were unable to extract the maximum performance from the Dutchman.
Sir Alex Ferguson is regarded as one of the best managers to ever manage a single club, he managed Manchester United for more than 20 years and knew each player in and out. One of the best strikers in the world, Van Persie joined the Red Devils in 2012 after an incredible season in which he scored thirty goals in the league for Arsenal.
Sir Alex was something else man.
After signing Robin van Persie, he told Carrick, Scholes, and Rooney: “I’ve brought a new striker in. If you can’t pass the ball to him, you won’t play.”
Maybe this is what Ten Hag needs to do with Højlund. 🤔😭pic.twitter.com/qtaw9eqqKh
— UF (@UtdFaithfuls) December 16, 2023
The forward became one of Sir Alex’s most valuable assets at United quickly, helping the team win its final Premier League championship during the Scot’s final season in charge. Furthermore, van Persie demonstrated how serious the manager was about having him the center of attention in 2020 while serving as a pundit on BT Sport.
Sir Alex’s words quoted via Van Persie, “I’ve brought a new striker in. If you can’t pass the ball to him, you won’t play.” This was Sir Alex’s way of issuing a warning to his star players and they went on to win the league that season with Van Persie scoring 30 goals and claiming the Golden Boot for the EPL season.
Sir Alex Ferguson was reluctant to sign soccer star Robin Van Persie
The title-winning striker Robin van Persie was nearly turned down by legendary Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson because he appeared to be too old. In the summer of 2012, the Red Devils successfully signed the Dutch forward from Arsenal. He moved from the Emirates to Old Trafford, and they paid Arsenal £24 million ($30 million) for his services.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s assistant back then Reene Meulensteen disclosed Sir Alex’s reluctance to sign Van Persie. He revealed, ‘Robin van Persie is interested in joining us, what do you think?’ and he said, ‘Nah, he’s too old’, he was 27 at the time [he was actually 28], had a bit of an injury record. And I said, ‘Ah, we’ll look into that, I wouldn’t dismiss it straight away’.
Last time a Man Utd player scored at least +30 goals (All comp) was with Robin Van Persie 10 years ago 💀
as a reminder his stats in that season :
48 games played
30 goals
15 assists pic.twitter.com/UJMRgP4MR2— Rayan 🇵🇸 (@UTD_P3ss1m1st) May 15, 2023
However, in conclusion, the move did materialize and he went on to lead them to a title in 2012-13 with his immense 30 goals in his debut season for the club. Van Persie played for the Red Devils for three seasons in all, during which time he amassed an incredible record of 58 goals in 105 matches across all competitions. In 2015, he was finally granted permission to depart, moving to Turkish team Fenerbahce.
After that, the striker concluded his career with his childhood team, Feyenoord, before hanging up his boots in 2019. Since then, Van Persie has started working as a coach for the Dutch team. Robin Van Persie will always go down as one of the best forwards to play the sport and soccer fans will remember his legacy for years to come.