Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has gone against the words of his player Robin van Persie and ruled the Dutch striker out of this weekend’s derby game against Manchester City.
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Although the former Arsenal forward returned to training this weekend after a long layoff since he hobbled off against Swansea City in February, it seems he may have been overly optimistic about his immediate return to action.
Van Persie notably scored the winning goal against City in his first season as a United player, when they won 3-2 at the Etihad Stadium in a major result to help them on their way to winning the Premier League.
However, the 31-year-old has not been at his best this season and perhaps would not have been guaranteed a place in van Gaal’s starting lineup anyway, with the manager now stating his belief that the attacker is not yet fit to start for his team.
“Robin van Persie is not fit enough to play,” van Gaal is quoted on ESPN. “I don’t think Luke Shaw is fit enough to play. I cannot say they are not fit but in my opinion they are not fit to play.”