No truth in row with Moyes, says van Persie

No truth in row with Moyes, says van Persie

If you have been following the English papers, you would have read that Robin van Persie is at loggerheads with David Moyes.

The Manchester United striker has been playing on painkillers for an injured toe and was reportedly demanding a rest from his manager.

However, I think the British press were just trying to engineer a breakdown between Moyes and the Dutchman before last night's game against Fulham.

With Man United failing to produce on the pitch, the English media are simply picking up on all the negatives around the team.

While van Persie's body language in some of the matches has suggested he is a frustrated man, I think he's simply upset with his teammates who have not been performing at their usual high standards.

The Dutchman is very much an unselfish player, but with his teammates not creating enough chances, any injury is certainly going to limit the amount of things he can do on his own.

The 3-1 win over Fulham on Saturday would have put a smile back on the Dutchman's face.

With Wayne Rooney in superb form, some might think van Persie's a pale shadow of what he was last season, but in fact, the former Arsenal striker has banged in nine goals in all competitions - including his brace in the Community Shield and last night's strike against Fulham.

Van Persie and Rooney set up goals for each other on Saturday, but for me, they haven't really got going so far.

Especially if you look at Liverpool, where Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez have been scoring goals for fun and creating assists for each other.

Elsewhere, United need at least nine other players to step up, especially the back four.

PROPER DEFENCE

There are goals in this United team, but Moyes needs the back four to start defending properly first.

One player who I think deserves a run in the first team is Wilfried Zaha, who was not even named on the bench on Saturday.

Against Norwich in the League Cup in midweek, the former Crystal Palace man offered something different - he had pace, tricks up his sleeves and he caused the Canaries a lot of problems.

Fans love to see this and, for me, he's got to play because there are few options better than him on the wings at the moment.

Luis Nani is not up for the job and giving him a new contract was all about making sure United get the right price when they sell him.

With his team's current form, Moyes has nothing to lose if he gives the 20-year-old a run of games to prove himself.

Like Cristiano Ronaldo when he first arrived at Old Trafford in 2003, Zaha still has a lot to learn.

But you know that with every chance he gets to play, he will get only better.

There's no reason Sir Alex Ferguson would sign the youngster if he didn't see the potential in him.

Paul Parker is a former England and Manchester United defender who won two EPL titles and earned 19 caps for his country. He is currently a football pundit with Fox Sports.


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