Player of the Season nominees: Robin van Persie

Player Impact

If anyone came up to you and asked you to dish out £24 million for a 28-year-old striker (complete with streaks of grey in his jet black hair) who scored 30 goals last season but had a history of recurring, persistent injuries, a majority would not oblige. But with every single transfer in the footballing world, there exists an element of risk and Sir Alex took it by the neck with van Persie.

Robin van Persie has almost effortlessly slotted into a team with a slightly different approach to football than Arsenal and taken United by the scruff over the finishing line. In ways more than the age factor, van Persie’s effect is Cantona-esque, though it might be quite a bit premature to declare that. He has brought the best out of players like Welbeck, Hernandez and his arrival has arguably moulded Wayne Rooney into a more complete attacker, with his assists count in the Premier League only bettered by the ineffably talented Chelsea duo of Juan Mata and Eden Hazard.

Conclusively, it is quite safe to say that in the tale of Manchester United’s 20th League triumph, Robin van Persie is the main protagonist; the star. He added the cutting edge to United’s effort and his finishing and familiarity in front of goal set him apart from the rest. In the end, he was what set United apart from the other contenders. If the newly-appointed Dutch captain can keep his fitness level, then Manchester United may be well in with a good shot at retaining their title come next season. And maybe, it can be said in a good sense that in the end, Manchester United did buy the title for a sum of £24 million – they bought it in the form of Robin van Persie.

So, Robin van Persie took the road more travelled, and surely – like most before him – wasn’t disappointed with the destination to which it led.

Click here to view the rest of the Player of the Season nominees