Robin van Persie to miss Manchester United’s season opener

Detroit, United States: Robin van Persie will delay his start to the Premier League season in order to improve his fitness after missing Manchester United’s tour to America.

New United manager Louis van Gaal says the striker won’t be in the team to face Swansea City in his side’s opening game on August 16, even though his partnership with Wayne Rooney is seen as key to regaining a Champions League spot.

Van Persie, 31 this week, will begin his pre-season training at United’s Aon complex on Monday, having taken an extended break in the Caribbean following Holland’s run to the World Cup semi-finals.

He had injury problems last season and, although he is keen to play as soon as possible, Van Gaal has ruled him out of United’s friendly against Valencia on August 12 and the Premier League opener four days later.

The United manager, speaking from the club’s pre-season tournament camp in Detroit, said: “I’m sure he won’t play in those games. He has to train. I’m sorry, but when you have three weeks’ holiday you need training sessions, not a game.

“Everyone can criticise me but I know what you have to do with players who have had that length of holiday. The player himself always wants to play but the other 30 players want to play also.”

Van Persie has scored 48 goals in 63 starts during two seasons at United and enjoys a close relationship with Van Gaal, but the former Holland manager substituted his star forward in the World Cup quarter-final against Costa Rica and won’t give him any special treatment at Old Trafford, even though he is a candidate to be the club’s captain.

Van Persie missed six weeks with a knee injury towards the end of last season and David Moyes, then the United manager, was accused of working him too hard.

After United play Swansea, they have a relatively comfortable run of fixtures in August and September against Sunderland, Burnley, QPR, Leicester and West Ham, allowing Van Gaal to take his time.

The Dutchman has also won a guarantee that the club will not arrange friendlies, in which they could earn several million pounds, when other clubs are playing Champions League fixtures this autumn.

In discussions with executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward, Van Gaal has asked for and received a 10-week amnesty in which he can train with his players without the distractions of money-spinning friendlies to make up the financial shortfall caused by United’s failure to qualify for Europe.

Van Gaal said: “I need preparation of 10 weeks and I am lucky Manchester United are not playing in a European competition to do this.

“We have discussed the issue of friendly matches and for the first 10 weeks we have to train. After that it is different and we will wait to see if we have a chance to play some matches.

“It will also depend on the opponent. It has to be a good opponent like this tournament in America.”

The compromise has been reached after Van Gaal complained that United’s 13,500-mile pre-season tour of America had hampered his plans.

However, it raises the prospect of them jetting abroad in December to play against other clubs who are out of Europe when the final group games are played in the Champions League or when the competition returns at the knockout stage in the spring.