Does Van Persie Injury Mean Manchester United Will Have To Settle For Top 4 Fight?

Although Manchester United have struggled this season under David Moyes, one of the get-out clauses that United fans gripped onto was the fact that Robin van Persie was in the squad and could fire them out of trouble.

It started well, too, as the Dutchman scored three in his first four games and then went on a four-game scoring run later in the season. Now, though, as he has been ruled out for a month with a thigh injury I wonder if United's season aim changes from title challenge to top four.

United are now 10 points behind leaders Arsenal after 16 games and looking like they are in trouble. Wayne Rooney has upped his game and has scored eight goals in his 14 appearances but after that only Danny Welbeck has scored more than two league goals.

Van Persie has scored seven goals in 11 games but will miss the club's crucial festive fixtures, which include a League Cup quarter-final tonight against Stoke, a home tie against West Ham and two away games against Hull and Norwich respectively.

For me, those three are winnable ties without van Persie's presence and shouldn't be a problem with Rooney, Welbeck and Hernandez available.

Should the Red Devils win all three then they will surely be further up the table and in a stronger position, so to the answer to the title - will van Persie's injury mean United have to settle for a top 4 battle, I would say no.