There’s no doubt which player caused the biggest stir during the recent transfer window in English football – Robin van Persie.
Van Persie’s stalled contract talks at Arsenal alerted the attention of Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United signed the Dutchman for a fee believed to be around £240million.
And the Dutchman has wasted little time in making an impact for United as the striker has netted four times in three appearances.
Here are 10 things you need to know about RVP.
- Van Persie scored home and away against United last season, but was twice on the losing side against his new team-mates.
- The hat-trick Van Persie scored in United’s recent 3-2 win at Southampton took his tally of Premier League goals to 100 in total. He is the eighth-fastest player to reach a century of goals in the Premier League.
- A return of 30 goals from 38 games earned Van Persie the Premier League Golden Boot last season, making him the first Arsenal player since Thierry Henry in 2006 to win the coveted award.
- Romania provided the opponents for Van Persie’s senior international debut for Holland back in June 2005. Seven years on, Van Persie has nearly 70 caps to his name and has netted 29 times.
- Van Persie won two trophies during his eight-year spell at Arsenal – the FA Cup in 2005 and the FA Community Shield in 2004.
- The Gunners are going to miss Van Persie’s goals as he has been the club’s top scorer in three of the last four seasons. Not bad for a player who cost Arsene Wenger just £2.75million back in 2004!
- Arsenal’s first-ever appearance in a Champions League final during the 2-1 defeat against Barcelona proved to be particularly bittersweet for Van Persie, who was an unused substitute and watched the whole game at the Stade de France from the bench.
- It took Van Persie just 10 minutes on his first start for United following his big-money departure from Arsenal to open his account for the club in the 3-2 victory over Fulham at Old Trafford last month.
- Van Persie suffered a broken foot against United during a 2-1 win for the Gunners back in January 2007.
- Dutch ace Van Persie captained Arsenal for the first time in January 2009 during an FA Cup win over Plymouth and was promoted to club captain on a full-time basis at the start of last season when Cesc Fabregas left to join Barcelona.
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