By Alex Hess
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson argues that the summer arrival of Robin van Persie has improved the performances of the squad’s entire attack.
Having netted 15 goals already this campaign, the Netherlands international has wasted no time in making his mark at Old Trafford and his manager has not only hailed the striker’s own performances but also the way in which his presence has forced the rest of the team’s marksmen to raise their own games.
“The attacking aspect of our game has definitely improved [since Van Persie joined] and of course he has weighed in with 14 goals [before the 3-1 win over Sunderland] so far,” the veteran manager told Yahoo! Sport.
“Chicharito has got nine goals, [Wayne] Rooney has seven I think and we have scored around 43 goals as team, which is quite a high amount for this time of year.”
Sir Alex noted the similarities between Van Persie’s arrival at the club and that of Eric Cantona in 1992, noting how neither player required any time to adapt to their new surroundings.
“He has got a similar profile to Eric in terms of age and maturity,” the 70-year-old added. “He had a great spell at Arsenal so there is no issue with him needing to settle into the Premier League.
“He came from one big club to another big club and he is an established international. All these things in his profile suited us perfectly.”
The United manager dismissed speculation that the club would be adding to their squad in the upcoming January transfer window, citing a shortage of value for money in comparison to the targets available during the summer.
When asked if he would be looking to strengthen the team in the winter, the Scot maintained: “No, the January transfer market has never been the best transfer market.
“That has been proven over the years with very few big transfers happening. All the big transfers happen in the summer.”
