Robin Van Persie has dismissed speculations that he’s unhappy at Manchester United and that will leave the club in the summer, insisting instead that he’d be “delighted” to sign a new contract, to extend his stay at Old Trafford beyond the two years remaining on his current deal.
Like for everybody else connected with United, this season has been a troublesome one for RVP. The focal point of United’s attack last season and the catalyst for Sir Alex Ferguson’s last league title, the Dutchman has suffered a couple of injuries this season that have limited his appearances on the pitch and was happy to criticise his team-mates after the defeat against Olympiacos in Athens.
Rumours suggesting he was unhappy with David Moyes’ tactics and approach in training have also circulated since the beginning of the season, when the United manager was accused of “overtrain” his striker, but RVP last night was keen to dismiss rumours linking him with a move away from the club.
“The truth is I’m very happy at this club,” Van Persie told United Review, in an interview that will appear on Sunday’s programme ahead of Liverpool’s visit to Old Trafford. “I signed for four years and I’d be delighted to stay even longer, beyond the next two years I have left on my contract. This is how I feel, although it’s not what has been suggested in the media.”
Van Persie insisted he was happy with David Moyes and United’s current squad. “I’m very happy with my team-mates and I’m very happy with my manager and his staff. The sessions we have on the training ground are fantastic and I’m learning a lot from them every day.
“I’ve been a professional footballer for 12 years now and there’s no doubt I’m learning new things and progressing with David Moyes.
“Over the last few years I’ve started to look more closely at the way coaches work to learn from them – not just here at the club but with the international team as well.
“I’ve worked with some brilliant coaches and I’ve taken a real interest in all the methods they use and the choices they make. And I can tell you that Moyes’s sessions and the things he says in his team meetings are spot on. I really enjoy working under him and I’m absolutely convinced things will pick up and we’ll turn it around.
“I don’t do a lot of interviews. I think you can count my interviews this season on one hand, so maybe it’s the case that when I do speak people want to turn it into something sensational. I don’t mind that – it’s part of the business we are in. I don’t mind if my performances get dissected and people criticise what I’ve done on the pitch. They can talk about my game 24/7 for all I care. And a lot of those opinions and criticisms may actually be right. So I don’t mind that.
“What I need to address are the situations when people are taking it upon themselves to think for me, make assumptions, or interpret things as if they are me. Last time I checked my head was still attached to my body, so I’m the only one who knows exactly what I’m feeling and that is not what I or the fans have been reading. I know I probably only see about 10% of what’s written about me but the things I have read recently aren’t based on the truth.
“Like I said, talk about my performances or talk about a tackle that was too late, I don’t mind, but it goes too far when people start suggesting, amongst other things, that I have a bad understanding with the manager.
“That’s not true at all. There is mutual respect between us and the work environment is actually good. He really wants things to work here at Manchester United and I want the same, just like the other players. We’re all working hard to make this work.”
Some good news, at last.
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