Friday, 12th September, 2014
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal believes Robin van Persie is fitter now than he was at the World Cup for Holland.
The Dutch striker missed the club’s pre-season and only returned to training a few weeks before the start of the new season.
He has appeared in all but one of Manchester United’s three Premier League fixtures and also captained Holland against Italy and the Czech Republic during the international break.
And Van Gaal feels that the Dutch captain is fitter now than he was for Holland during the World Cup, which is a benefit for Manchester United.
Van Persie missed large portions of last season due to niggling injuries and went into the World Cup with injury concerns looming over his head.
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"I think that Robin van Persie is fitter than [he was] for the World Cup", the Manchester United boss told the club’s official site.
"He was injured before it but he fought to be there.”
Van Gaal feels that the extra training that Van Persie undertook before the start of the season is finally paying dividends for the Red Devils, justifying his decision.
"Maybe you remember that I let him train for the first three weeks before he entered into a game.
“I think he is fitter than I've ever seen him before."
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