Man Utd return gives Van Persie one last chance to shine
The Dutchman has not convinced everyone at Fenerbahce that he is worthy of the fans’ praise but a positive night at Old Trafford could see his ailing reputation boosted
Robin van Persie is a football phenomenon – of that there is little doubt. In Turkey, in particular, he has always been in the headlines, constantly talked about since the day that he arrived at Fenerbahce.
The Dutchman has been a continuous topic of discussion not for his 22 goals (16 of them in the league) but his never-ending disagreements with his coach, Vitor Pereira, during his first season in Turkey. Perhaps it is true that the Portuguese coach couldn’t really communicate with the former Manchester United man.
However, Fenerbahce fans truly understood him and, when forced to take somebody’s side in the stand-off, they stood alongside Van Persie and retained the hope that the Dutchman would perform better in his second season.
But nothing went as expected at the beginning of the 2016-17 campaign for Van Persie. He had not participated in around 50 per cent of training sessions until the middle of September and a return to the team seemed a long way off. It is fair to say that his intention to leave in the summer was an important factor in his lack of commitment to Fenerbahce in this period.
Yet he appeared to make a choice in the middle of September and thought that it might be a better idea to continue with Fenerbahce. He has not missed a training session since September 23 and is in good shape for the first time this season. Against Alanyaspor on Sunday, he even made a full 90-minute appearance for the first time since May.
Hasan Cetinkaya, Fener’s executive director, explained: “Van Persie could not get himself going after the injuries he suffered because of the traumas he had been through after them but he is working a lot. He is a player with a strong character and he is putting in a lot of effort to get over these traumas.”
And when asked whether Van Persie’s improved attitude might be related to the meeting with his former club, Manchester United, at Old Trafford on Thursday, Cetinkaya admitted: “Maybe it is. For him, the Premier League and England is really important. Maybe he wants to be there in his best form but he also wants to give his best all the time.”
So was Turkey really the right move for the Dutch star? That is now a question open to discussion. At a hugely passionate club and in a country experiencing frequent shifts and changes, Van Persie found himself involved in never-ending controversies, instead of being treated as a role model thanks to his work ethic. The club’s board are likely as frustrated as he is.
Sources familiar with the goings-on believe that he may well be sold in January or next summer. He is already a financial burden to the club with his annual salary of €5 million (£4.5m), and his agents negotiated with different Chinese clubs throughout last summer but could not attract the offers that they wanted. There had been offers from English clubs after the disappointments of China but no-one could match his Fenerbahce salary and he stayed put.
As embroiled in controversy as he has been, Van Persie seems to be too cool for the warm-blooded Turkish football fans. He has been known to share photos while fishing after a defeat, which does not always go down well on social media. The rumours coming from inside the team say the same thing. Van Persie is said to be failing to contribute enough within the team atmosphere and new arrival Gregory van der Wiel has also been accused of falling short in the same regard. They seem to avoid taking leadership roles in a team badly needing such figures. But Fenerbahce fans see things quite differently.
In Sunday’s league fixture, a Fenerbahce tradition was repeated. The most valuable player in the eyes of the fans was called first to the stands to chant with the fans and there are no prizes for guessing who that was. Van Persie is still highly valued by the fans.
Even though the media are pointing in the opposite direction, Fenerbahce fans are still hopeful that the Dutchman can produce the goods and do not want to lose him. Coach Dick Advocaat seems to agree with them, seeking to adapt him into an attacking playmaker instead of using him as a striker in an attempt to benefit from his strong footballing IQ while putting less physical pressure on him.
The game against Manchester United should be key to Van Persie’s struggle for survival in European football. He will look to use the occasion as a chance to prove that he is far from done and, if he comes out as a winner, maybe that mooted Premier League return won’t be so far away.
