Robin van Persie has already explained the philosophy behind his coaching approach after being sounded out by incoming Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag, who wants the former striker on his backroom staff.
Ten Hag has already started informal talks with the former Dutch striker, who scored 26 goals and won the Golden Boot when United last won the title under Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013. Van Persie is Arne Slot's assistant at Feyenoord, having undertaken his coaching badges and working with the Under-16s team in at the Dutch club’s Academy.
Former United players have almost been a constant in the club’s backroom staff, with Darren Fletcher the most prominent at Old Trafford. Ryan Giggs and Michael Carrick also had high-profile roles under various coaching teams, while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer of course held the hotseat.
Van Persie enjoyed significant success as a player - winning the UEFA Cup, Dutch Cup and Dutch Super Cup at the Rotterdam-based outfit, where his teenage son Shaqueel is currently in the club's academy and progressing well. The progress of his son is likely to factor into the former striker’s decision on a future move, while daughter Dina is also one of Holland’s biggest showjumping talents.
Van Persie played for United between 2012 and 2015, steering them to the Premier League title in his first season – Sir Alex Ferguson’s last in the dugout – before also featuring under David Moyes and Louis van Gaal. He retains close to cult status at Old Trafford due to his magical 2012-13 campaign and ten Hag believes that he could help provide a bridge between an entirely new coaching setup and the club.
Van Persie was asked to explain his coaching philosophy on The Star a year ago, where he highlighted the enjoyment of coaching youngsters – spurred on by his son Shaqueel: “It really triggered me, especially working with the youth. It’s just a joy to work with. Mentally and physically I am ready to make the step into coaching. I was a player who was creative and I never liked a coach who told me what to do exactly because I wanted my freedom, so now what I try to do is have two parts to my coaching style.
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“One, you have the team philosophy, and two, you have the personal way of working together with the players. At any time I try to always [get them] to keep their freedom, because all these guys are really talented and that is why they’re playing at such a good club. It’s constantly trying to find that balance of making them play from your philosophy, but still let them be creative in their own way.”
Van Persie holds multiple coaching roles at Feyenoord, where he is an assistant coach who has been helping train the club’s strikers on an unofficial basis for the past two years. This season, he joined the first-team coaching setup on an official basis while he also coaches the club’s Under-16 team with Brian Pinas.
