Robin reliant! Revealed: United would be in mid-table without him

DIDN'T HE DO WEL ... Danny Welbeck hails Cup hero RVP

ROBIN VAN PERSIE is worth his weight in gold as Manchester United continue their chase for silverware.

For without the Dutch destroyer, United would have won just FIVE Premier League games this term and earned half of their 52-point tally.

Van Persie has scored 16 League goals for the table-toppers and chipped in with six assists.

With his amazing contribution, United have won 17, drawn one and lost three for a staggering win percentage of 81.

But take Van Persie’s goals and assists out of those games and the picture changes massively for United.

Without the ex-Arsenal ace scoring and helping his team-mates, United would have won just five games, drawn 11 and lost five — a 23.8 win percentage.

Or put more bluntly, with RVP United are seven points clear of deadly rivals Manchester City at the top of the Premier League.

Without him, they would have 26 points and be scrapping it out with West Ham and Norwich for a mid-table spot. And without his injury-time equaliser, they would also have gone out of the FA Cup at the hands of the Hammers on Saturday.

When Van Persie, 29, arrived for £22million last summer, there were fears over his injury record.

Last season was the first injury-free term he had enjoyed in North London since his £2.75m move from Feyenoord in 2004.

Asked whether Van Persie’s price was looking like a bargain, West Ham chief Sam Allardyce said: “Yes, isn’t it. The man himself picked the team where he thinks he can get the most trophies, not make the most money and that is to his credit.

“Because he is at that team he wants to be successful, and as a professional he wants to hit the ground running. He has already shown everyone what he can do.”

Yet our figures for the top scorers at each Premier League team make fascinating reading.

Incredibly, QPR would not have managed a single win without Adel Taarabt. The Moroccan forward has scored four times for struggling Rangers while making three assists.

In those matches, he has helped the Londoners win two and draw seven.

But take Taarabt’s intervention out of those same games and Rangers would still be looking for their first win, although they would have managed those seven draws.

Aston Villa will continue to hope that Christian Benteke keeps banging them in.

A £7m signing from Belgian side Genk, Benteke has scored six times and had four assists.

With his goals and crosses, Villa have won four and drawn seven games with a win rate of 19 per cent.

But without Benteke causing havoc, Villa would have won just one match for a 4.8 win percentage.

Theo Walcott’s form has been a massive bonus for Arsenal.

Despite not starting a Premier League game between August 18 and November 10, Walcott has still scored eight times and set up six goals.

With his efforts, Arsenal have won nine, drawn seven and lost four games for a win rate of 45 per cent.

Without his contributions, Arsenal would have seen their win stats dip to 35 per cent — food for thought as boss Arsene Wenger haggles over a new contract for the England strike star.