Van Persie set for debut at Everton – Ferguson
Dutchman will give United more options upfront
Alex Ferguson is confident Robin van Persie will be available to make his Manchester United debut against Everton on Monday.
United announced on Wednesday night that they had agreed a fee with Arsenal for the Dutch striker, subject to him settling personal terms and passing a medical.
Ferguson said: “We hope the transfer goes according to plan. His agent is in discussions with (United chief executive) David Gill.
“We hope all the things will be tied up, although sometimes medicals do take a bit longer. I am sure he will be available for Monday’s game.”
Speaking at the launch of a new partnership with online gaming group bwin, Ferguson likened his present situation to that he had in 1999 when Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke scored 53 goals during United’s Treble-winning campaign, reinforced by Champions League final heroes Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
“They (Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie) are two fantastic players and it will be great to have both of them,” said Ferguson.
“It gives us more strength and more combinations up front.
“In 1999 I had Dwight Yorke, Andy Cole, Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the four best strikers in Europe.
“We are going towards that now with Javier Hernandez, Wayne Rooney, Robin, Danny Welbeck and Shinji Kagawa.
“It is a fantastic collection of players and hopefully I pick the right combinations.”
Rooney, Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand were also present at the Old Trafford launch.
And as the club look to recover from the shock of losing their title to Manchester City last season, Ferdinand knows there is work to do.
“Last season was disappointing for us because we didn’t win the league,” he said.
“Now it is about how we come back. We have shown in the past the mentality of the club and its history is that we always come back stronger.
“We want to give the fans what they expect and be battling at the top of the league.”