United striker lets his boot do the talking

LOUIS van Gaal wants to see more improvement from Robin van Persie even though the Dutch striker responded superbly to recent disapproval in Manchester United’s 3-0 victory over Hull City.

Van Persie laid on a goal for Wayne Rooney and scored one himself in the second half of a win that returned United to the top four in the English Premier League on Saturday ahead of tomorrow’s home game against Stoke City.

The former Arsenal star has scored just four times this season, but at least the display was a vast improvement on last weekend’s win against the Gunners, in which he only touched the ball 13 times.

United manager Van Gaal used his pre-match press conference before Hull to express his dissatisfaction over Van Persie’s form and pointed out that Radamel Falcao was fit and could take the Dutchman’s place in the team.

Van Persie responded to that threat in the perfect manner, but Van Gaal said his compatriot had room to improve.

“Every striker needs a goal. When you don’t score for the last two or three matches, you need a goal,” Van Gaal said.

“So I’m very pleased and happy for him that he scored his goal, but I’m sure that he can play better . . .”

Van Gaal’s only major concerns in a routine victory were an early hamstring injury to Argentine playmaker Angel di Maria, which forced him out of the action, and a late problem that saw Rooney receive treatment. Neither problem, however, would give the Red Devils boss a headache.

“With Angel di Maria it is always difficult to say, but he will be out of our game against Stoke on Tuesday [tomorrow] for sure,” Van Gaal said.

“He knows his own body very well and he said it was his hamstring straight away, maybe it’s not too bad.

“Wayne Rooney said to me after the match that he’ll play on Tuesday [tomorrow]. But Rooney’s always saying that!

“First he had a kick on the calf and after that he had problems with his knee, but I don’t think it’s too much. I think he should play.”

Van Persie, meanwhile, started the game alongside Di Maria in a new-look United attacking formation until the latter’s injury forced a reshuffle that put the Dutchman into his usual lead striking role.

“In the beginning he played as a No 10, not a No 9, and I think he played better in the striker position when I was forced to move him.

“He can play very well at No 10, but then you have to pass more than he did today [Saturday]. But I’m very pleased that he scored and that he had a big influence on the game,” Van Gaal said.

Van Persie showed his relief when he admitted, “I was glad to score – I needed that goal to be honest. We played really well, you could see that in the way we passed the ball.

“Every week it gets quicker and better. Today [Saturday] it could have been 4-0 or 5-0.”

Former United defender Steve Bruce has seen his Hull team win just once since the opening day of the season and he has now lost 17 of the 21 games he has managed against his old club.

His charges are only out of the relegation places on goal difference, but Bruce remains confident they can stay up.

“You can’t give away goals like the ones we gave away today [Saturday] when you come to a place like this.

“We knew it was going to be difficult,” he said. — AFP

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