Manchester United: Van Persie Return Lessens The Impact Of Rooney's Absence

According to The Independent, Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney is unlikely to feature in tomorrow’s game against Sunderland. This could prove to be a blessing in disguise for interim manager Ryan Giggs, who was set to be faced with a selection headache, with last season’s top goalscorer Robin Van Persie back fit from injury.

Rooney has enjoyed a fine personal Premier League campaign, finding the back of the net 17 times as well as creating 10 goals for his team-mates. The-28 year-old was instrumental in last week’s 4-0 at home to Norwich – arguably United’s most impressive performance of what has been a torrid season.

Given the manner of the victory, it was always going to be difficult for Giggs to justify making any unforced changes to his team. However Van Persie is no ordinary player. Giggs will be reliant on the inspiration that Van Persie can bring to the rest of the players, especially with the all-action approach of Rooney set to be missing.

This is the ideal opportunity for the United legend to give the Dutchman a start and allow him to link up with playmaker Juan Mata, who shone when he came off the bench last Saturday.

Van Persie was the driving force behind last season’s title win and Sir Alex Ferguson’s last major signing at a cool £24m. The absence of Wayne Rooney may not prove to be so costly after all.

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