Robin van Persie admits uncertainty over future at Manchester United

Posted Tuesday, January 27, 2015 by theguardian.com

Robin van Persie admits uncertainty over future at Manchester United
Robin van Persie is contracted until the summer of 2016 but says he does not know what will happen after that.

Robin van Persie admits he is unsure what will happen regarding his long-term future at Manchester United.

Van Persie’s contract expires in summer 2016, with the striker revealing he does not know what will happen after that.

"It is not up to me,” said the 31-year-old. “For the moment I am staying here for 18 months. That is it really. I can’t look into the future. I don’t know what is going to happen after that. We shall have to wait and see.”

Van Persie also admits he is unhappy at his form this season, with the forward managing only eight goals in 25 appearances.

Louis van Gaal’s team have also struggled to score recently, registering five times in their last six matches.

Van Persie believes all of the team have to accept responsibility for this and for an uneven campaign that has left them in fourth place in the league.

United also struggled to a 0-0 draw at Cambridge United in Friday evening’s FA Cup fourth tie, a match in which Van Persie missed a clear chance after coming on as replacement.

With Leicester City Saturday’s visitors for United’s next league fixture, Van Persie wants to improve his own contribution.

"Obviously we are not scoring enough goals, including me. I have to be honest,” said the striker who was speaking at the launch of Swissquote, Manchester United’s first global Official Forex and Online Trading Partner. “But if you look at [it] - I get chances every game. That is what makes me happy. I get one or two, sometimes three. When you look at the chance, for example, against Cambridge, I don’t think I can blame [Angel] Di Maria for the great pass or blame myself for the way I hit it. I am convinced that if we keep doing what we are doing, because we do create chances, if the strikers just take those chances that we are doing I think we have a chance of scoring again.

"I think everyone in the team is responsible. Everyone feels responsible. I do definitely. This year I have played something like 20 [25] games and I have scored eight goals. I am not happy with that. I want to score more. I will do everything, every day in training and during the games I will keep doing what I have been doing for the last 10 years to make those goals. It makes so many people happy. Including me.”

In Van Persie’s first United season, the 2012-13 title winning year, he scored 30 for the club, and in last term’s injury-hampered campaign 18 were registered. Asked why he is struggling so far this season, Van Persie said: “In my last couple of games I didn’t score. But again, can I really blame myself for that? I am always asking me that question. Against Spurs for example [a 0-0 draw on 28 December] there was that ball from [Michael] Carrick and I had one touch, another touch and another. I went to finish with my right leg.

"Normally, nine out of 10 keepers will make a move and it will be a goal. But not that day. Like I said, if I scored that goal it could have happened and we would have won the game. Then we are having a very different conversation. It is a very thin line between scoring a load or goals and only a couple. I know what I have to do to create those opportunities. I will keep doing that. At the moment, it is not enough. I know that. I will do everything I can to improve that.”