Robin van Persie is still making an impact for Manchester United despite his goal drought, according to fellow Dutchman Jaap Stam.
The ex-Arsenal striker’s goal drought continued in the Mancunian derby, taking him to ten United games without finding the back of the net.
But he is receiving the backing of Stam – who insists the Red Devils profit from space opened up by opponents double-marking the ex-Arsenal man.
“The opponents always know the quality of the strikers so, if van Persie is scoring, a lot of other teams will be marking him with two defenders and making it hard for him to score,” Stam told manutd.com.
“But it doesn’t matter as he’s then taking a lot of attention away from the defenders and, if someone else scores, as they have been doing, then it’s okay.
“Since day one, when he joined, he has done very well. I’ve heard people talking about him not scoring for a while.
“But he’s scored a lot before that and, when he gets chances again, he will score goals for United in the future.”
Stam left Old Trafford in a shock move in 2001 as Alex Ferguson believed him surplus to requirements following a niggling achilles injury.
The Scot has since talked about the decision as one of his biggest regrets – but as far as the former defender is concerned, no resentment lingers.
“I loved playing at United,” he added. “Everybody knows the past and I’m not going to talk about it anymore but I love the fans and they always gave me a great feeling and a good reception.”
Picture courtesy of Paul Blank, via Wiki Commons, with thanks.
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