The Manchester United striker Robin van Persie has said that he has developed a great partnership with the England international Wayne Rooney after just a few weeks of playing together. The arrival of Robin van Persie for £ 24 million from Arsenal was expected to be a threat for Wayne Rooney, but the 26-year-old has responded in brilliant fashion after striking a great partnership with the Dutchman. Even though Wayne Rooney has not been prolific in this partnership, his presence has been crucial in helping Robin van Persie get eight goals in the Premier league alone.

The secret towards the great partnership even if this still in the infant stages is due to the position adopted by the two players. Robin van Persie has termed the position as ‘nine and a half’. He has said that both himself and Wayne Rooney have learnt to accustom themselves as one of the number 9 and number 10. This means that the constantly switching between being a striker and someone who plays just became the striker. This has made it extremely difficult for teams to cope with at this early part of the campaign, and it has helped Manchester United open a one-point advantage over Chelsea in the table.

“I call it a nine and a half because you have two positions, the nine and the 10, and we are both nine and a half. We are just helping each other out. We both play behind and a bit higher up. It seems to be working well and I am very happy with Wayne – hopefully we can keep it going. There’s flexibility there and the right type of movement. They also both have the courage to play in these positions,” said the Manchester United striker, who has scored 10 goals in all competitions for the club.