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Dublin: 12 °C Sunday 19 May, 2013

Party like it’s 1999: Ferguson says van Persie takes United to treble level

The Old Trafford side are nearing the best strike partnerships in Europe with the Dutchman’s acquisition, according to the Scot.

Alex Ferguson: done deal.
Alex Ferguson: done deal.
Image: Getty images

ALEX FERGUSON SAYS the signing of Robin van Persie will see Manchester United possess Europe’s best forward line.

Dutchman van Persie is expected to arrive in Manchester later to agree personal terms and undergo a medical with United after they agreed a fee of £24million  with Arsenal.

Ferguson dismissed suggestions he would have a selection headache following Van Persie’s arrival, instead drawing comparisons between his 2012/13 team and the attacking line-up which fired United to their 1998/99 treble.

He told reporters: “Rooney and Van Persie are two fantastic players and it’s great to have both of them. What it gives us is more strength and combinations up front. Going back to the 1999 season, we had Yorke, Cole, Sheringham and Solskjaer, the four best strikers in Europe.

“We’re getting towards that now with Wayne, Robin, Chicharito and Danny Welbeck. It’s a fantastic collection of players. I just hope I pick the right combinations. It’s great to have a player of van Persie’s quality to come into the squad as it is. I’m really pleased.”

Ferguson said he expects Van Persie to be available for United’s Premier League opener away to Everton on Monday.

“We are delighted with that (the Van Persie deal) of course,” he said. ”He’s not signed yet, but a fee has been agreed. He’s on his way up from London and will have a medical later this (Wednesday) afternoon. Hopefully that goes according to plan. His agent is also in discussion with David Gill. Hopefully all these things will be tied up by the end of the day.

“But sometimes medicals take a little longer and it may carry on until tomorrow. But I’m sure he will be available for Monday’s game.”

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Comments (36 Comments)

  • It must be tough to be an Arsenal fan!

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  • That’s true no player is bigger then the club! But year after year of saying it must be tough! Eventually you realise maybe these players are in fact bigger then the club and want to win trophies

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  • Van Persie might fail medical with back problems after carrying arsenal for over 4 years!

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  • Now all we need is a midfielder who will take some scalps back to the dressing room at full time.

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  • On a different note, I was talking to a sports shop owner who told me he can’t keep adult sized Man City shirts in stock for the past 18 months, prior to that he’d only order in the bare minimum, maybe 3 shirts and he’d be lucky to sell 2.
    I support Villa and have to order any shirt I want online, I’m hoping they get close to winning the league soon…not only as a supporter but as a person who would like to purchase a shirt in the local shop.
    :P

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  • I understand your viewpoint about the quality of the current squad versus previous united squads but at the end of the day united only missed out on the title on goal difference , and van Perdue scored 30 goals last season m so adding him to the current squad should help a bit , think Sagawana has great potential too , midfield defo needs more depth though , Giggs and Scoles were class but age catching up on both.

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  • Say what ye like-Best manager ever. That is all.

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  • I don’t know why people are arguing where most united or city fans come from…most people commenting here are Irish and have zero connection to Manchester but its the thing to do..follow united like the majority of the sheep.

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  • “we had Yorke, Cole, Sheringham and Solskjaer, the four best strikers in Europe.” ehhh..Ronaldo, Shevchenko, Vieri and Shearer just spring to mind..sure they had a great season in 1999 but those four and particularly Solskjaer were never, ever the best strikers in Europe.

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  • United fans are seriously deluded. Joint Top. Ah yes, that glorious moment when city and united lifted the league trophy together then jointly paraded through the streets of Manchester. More goals scored, less goals conceded, the beating of united twice. First. Uno. Champions. Back to london with you reds…

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    • According to a recent survey on goal.com, over 50% of mancs are red. Around 14% support City. Obviously as the most supported team on the planet, United are going to have a strong following in every city, especially one with a population like London. But the old adage that they’re more London than Manchester just flies in the face of fact and is nothing more than a myth spun by bitter fans of less successful clubs because they can’t find anything tangible to criticise.

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    • And Wrong, wrong and wrong again. Mancunians (I am one) support city. Places like Salford (Not even technically Manchester) probably have a concentration of reds. So Joe, believe me, don’t trust everything you read on websites, because get this:Sometimes, people don’t tell the truth in polls. To use a classic Chelsea taunt whenever they play united at Stamford Bridge – “You only live round the corner, You only live round the corner”

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    • I only used the goal.com one as its the most recent (a few days ago) and is regarded as unbiased. But if it’s not enough for you, Manchester Evening News and Manchester Metropolitan University also conducted separate surveys and both found the same results. Clearly as a City fan you’re going to be biased towards City. My United supporting friends in Manchester will claim the opposite. But I’ll go with the independent research thanks.

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    • Manchester is red I’ve had enough family and friends live there and it is red thru and thru city have always been 2nd in the supported stakes

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    • Colm Walk around Moss Side with your united shirt and see how red it is. Joe, point taken on the biased aspect. We’ve taken lots of flak from the red hordes over the years and the blue moon rising over Manchester gives us bragging rights at the moment! Not familiar with MEN survey, but the met one is from 2001, a season in which we played in the old first division (and still attracted crowds of 30,000+) and still held that only a third of united season ticket holders were actually from Manchester. If you are interested in the rivalry, there’s a fantastic book called “Manchester United ruined my life” by Colin Schindler. A great read for bodies from either side of the divide.

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    • Les Rock 16/08/12 #

      moss side Carlos is city land…we all know it. Why don’t you walk round Trafford park in your city shirt.

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    • Have you ever been to Trafford Park? Its one of, if not the biggest Industrial Estates in Europe. You have as much chance of bumping into a typical united fan there on any given non match day as I have of playing for Manchester United.

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  • utd finished joint top pffffft!! utd finished 2nd you’ll find if ya just remove them red tinted glasses for a moment

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  • Elrat 16/08/12 #

    2nd 2nd get over it ! CITAAAY !!’ yeah

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  • @tj ,t watched the interviews and I think to put alex comment into some context he was talking about the fact all four were class strikers playing at the one club and that helped united become European champions that year, shearer etc hadn’t got 3 other class strikers on same team. He was drawing the comparison because the signing of VP alongside Rooney Wellbeck Hernandez is the prob the first time since the 99 team he feels his team upfront have this set up

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  • Slur Axel is drooling again,its well time to put him into a nappy and ship him of to a home for the seriously bewildered…..from a neutral standpoint.

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  • Ah no.. The football dribble is starting again…

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  • Dave 16/08/12 #

    Come on Chelsea!!!

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