Louis van Gaal has very specific ideas of what it takes to prepare for a Premier League campaign.
The Dutch manager does not think Robin van Persie has enough lead time to be ready for Manchester United’s opener against Swansea City on Aug. 16.
Hedging his prediction by saying ‘at this moment’, van Gaal laid out his thoughts on the matter of van Persie’s extended break from training since the end of the Netherlands’ World Cup run on July 12.
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Van Gaal said RVP, 31, will miss the friendly against Valencia on Aug. 12, and he doesn’t expect four days later to be enough for the Manchester United star.
From The Mirror:The Reds’ new manager said: “Robin wants to play every game, I know that, but so do the other 30 players in the squad. But players have to train and Robin needs a full training regime behind him before he can play again.”
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“And he won’t play in the Premier League at the start either, I think. People can criticise me for that decision but I know what you have to do with players who have had three weeks’ holiday.
“Hopefully, Robin will get his fitness back very fast. But at this moment, he won’t be playing.”
The match against Swansea is the first match of the Premier League season, and will take place at Old Trafford.