Robin van Persie 'lacked spirit' sought by Louis van Gaal at Manchester United

• Dutch striker thought not to be the best influence around the squad
• Van Persie scored only 10 times in final Manchester United season

Posted Thursday, December 10, 2015 by theguardian.com

Robin van Persie was overlooked for the Manchester United captaincy in an underwhelming final season at Old Trafford.

Robin van Persie was sold in the summer by Louis van Gaal because the Manchester United manager believed the striker was not conducive to the team spirit the manager was fostering.

Van Persie left for Fenerbahce for around £4m in July despite the centre-forward starting Van Gaal’s first season in charge as a favourite to replace Nemanja Vidic as United’s captain. Van Gaal chose Wayne Rooney for the role, which caused some surprise.

Van Persie endured an indifferent season, scoring only 10 times and he also suffered six separate injuries or illnesses. It is understood the striker was not always the best influence around the squad and that this was a prime factor in the manager’s decision to allow him to leave.

Van Gaal said at the time: "In the end you always have to evaluate which players have contributed to our fourth place, which players a little bit and which players no contribution and then you make decisions. But you make decisions on facts and not on other things. It is a process. It is what we have experienced in the whole season with each other. You have to oversee all the aspects."