It’s time for the third instalment in our Burning Questions series, focussing on some of the main dilemmas facing Fantasy managers for the season ahead. Having quizzed our contributors on Alexis Sanchez’ prospects and Defensive Heavy Hitters, we now turn our attentions on a certain Dutch forward, as United prepare for their first season under new boss Louis van Gaal.

When Van Gaal’s appointment was first announced, our expectations for Robin van Persie soared. The veteran manager’s preferred 4-3-3 formation looked set to force Wayne Rooney and Juan Mata onto the flanks and hand his compatriot the lone forward role but, since taking the helm, Van Gaal has continued with the 3-4-1-2 formation that earned Holland third place at the recent World Cup.

Rooney and Mata have resultantly flourished in central roles for the Red Devils over the summer friendlies so far and, whilst Van Persie has yet to return to action after his summer exploits in Brazil 2014, the former pair approach the upcoming campaign in excellent form.

At 12.5 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), Van Persie is the priciest option available to Fantasy managers despite scoring just 12 times in an injury-hit campaign under David Moyes last time around. Granted, with Van Gaal at the helm, we can surely expect an improvement but can he rediscover the form that served up 56 goals, 28 assists and 94 bonus points over 2011/12 and 2012/13?

With just a week to go until their season opener at home to Swansea, we ask the question – Can Robin Van Persie emerge as “essential” once again?

Evs says…
This may shock you all (being the proud owner of an RVP duvet) but I am going to say NO. He just doesn’t look as sharp as in previous seasons. Even in the World Cup, with the exception of the Spain game, he looked ordinary at best. Whereas beforehand he was in your team and there to stay, I think he will be better bought and sold as fixtures dictate. So bearing in mind he is unlikely to start the few first games of the season, then, he’s not essential for now. The only thing that may help swing it in Van Persie’s favour is a lack of European duties for United this season – while many rival strikers have busier schedules, he only has Premier League games to contend with. The duvet is in storage for now… But it may used again!

Applebonkers says…
Back in May 2010 a man called Darren in a Sunderland shirt took me to one side and said, “Son, look at me, I’ve scored 24 goals this season and played in all 38 matches. Yet I still haven’t reached the 200 point mark.” It was at this point that I learnt that it is not actually the more alluring goal which makes the true heavyweight striker, but the assist.

So I think this question could be as simple as will Van Persie start to pump out the assists again? We know he’ll score goals as not even David Moyes could unpolish that diamond, it’s all about the three point cousin. Fellow left-footer Juan Mata is a serious contender for right-sided set-pieces and that could dent van Persie’s potential to earn assists from the deadball.

The Dutchman’s number of passes and all-round involvement plummeted last season, this not only hurts his assist threat but hit him hard on bonus too. Rooney’s 46 passes per game compared to van Persie’s 18 (30 being the magic mark) meant the Dutchman struggled to compete with Rooney’s goals. Overall I’m sceptical whether van Gaal will help inject enough mojo back in to replicate the essential version of 2011 and 2012.

Tom Fenley says…
This is really down to Louis van Gaal, and unless we find out exactly how he’s going to set up the team it’s difficult to know. If it’s two up front then he’s likely to score about the same, or perhaps a little more than Rooney but not enough to warrant spending that extra two million. It’s always possible that van Persie will become essential, particularly if he starts playing up front on his own. It’s sensible to keep a way open of fitting him in with two transfers. However, overall, for that price and the money you save, unless Rooney really isn’t performing (and he does tend to have either very good or bad runs) it makes no sense to have van Persie, right now. Two million elsewhere in the squad provides much stronger value.

Jonty says…
I’m starting to think that we may have seen the best of Robin Van Persie during his sensational 531 point run over the 2011/12 and 2012/13 seasons. I can’t see him replicating that form again. Of course there are significant positives. He plays for Manchester United, he is on penalties and, when fit, should be nailed-on to start. He’s also still capable of scoring sensational goals as his header in Holland’s opening World Cup game showed. But with fitness concerns remaining I’m not sure this 31-year-old will be essential again. Crucially he is 2.0 more than Wayne Rooney, who with assists and goals in his locker, as well as a good pre-season under his belt, looks to offer similar or better returns for far less money. Van Persie also misses the opening fixture – if Rooney shines that day, then the Dutchman will struggle to gain our attention as he once did.

D1sable says…
I’m not so sure. We all know Van Persie’s Fantasy Premier League (FPL) history and what he can potentially offer but sometimes past performances cloud our judgment; more recent times suggests he’s lost a little something and has started to succumb to injuries again, though I suppose the trick here is to work out if that was down to David Moyes and ascertain whether Van Gaal can reignite his compatriot’s thirst for goals. The comparison with Wayne Rooney also works against him for me –for an additional 2.0, you’re basically paying for penalties (when he’s on the pitch at the same time) and with Van Gaal already looking at playing a front two, I don’t think there is enough value there.

7shadesofsmoke says…
Was Robin van Persie (RvP) ever essential? The age-old argument goes that RvP is the Fantasy manager’s comfort blanket, the easy choice for captaincy if you want guaranteed returns, but in his most productive season (2011/12) his 269 points came at a rate of 12.38 minutes per point (MPP). He was slightly quicker again in 2012/13 but had fewer minutes, registering 262 points at a rate of 11.91 MPP – slower than Theo Walcott in the same season, let’s not forget.

Considering his eternally mighty price tag, I did present a case for a non RvP captaincy strategy before the start of last season and I’d adopt the same stance again this year. Will Van Persie be a major factor again? I really do think so. Luis van Gaal will need his main man back at his best if he is to make United a force to be reckoned with once more, but is RvP worth the extra 2.0 over his inevitable strike partner, Wayne Rooney? That’s far less clear.

If Robin van Comfort Blanket registered a point every 12.49 minutes over the past three years – in two of which he won the Premier League Golden Boot -Wayne Rooney offers up a similarly consistent point every 12.94 minutes for considerably less over the same period. It would take a season of Luis Suarez proportions for the Dutchman to be tagged ‘essential’ in my plans.

Swanny14 says…
As a Man United fan, please excuse any excessive bias here. But yes, I don’t believe that RVP’s ‘essential’ days are behind him. In an underperforming side and with a whopping 14.0 price tag hanging heavily around his neck last season, many of us naturally fell out of love with the Dutchman as our ‘affections’ turned towards Luis Suarez. But Old Trafford is a very different place now. With Louis van Gaal at the helm, a certain spark seems to have returned to the United side (just watch some of the football they’ve been playing in pre-season, the link-up play is miles ahead of anything we saw from them last year) and Van Persie is certain to benefit from his close relationship with his former international coach.

Sure the Dutchman wasn’t in the finest of form in 2013/14, but Van Persie still bagged 16 goals in 27 appearances in all competitions, and that’s with a midfield behind him that had about as much creativity as a sofa. If Van Gaal can get new signing Ander Herrera pulling the strings in the middle of the park, and figure out the ‘RVP, Rooney, Mata’ dilemma as David Moyes failed to do, then Van Persie – bar injuries – will have the platform to return to his title-winning heroics of 2012/13 and acquire his ‘essential’ status once again in the coming season.

Gavigon says…
I have a feeling that one of Robin Van Persie or Wayne Rooney will become essential. Which of them it is will come down to niggling injuries, and who Van Gaal decides is the attacking focal point – I’m favouring Rooney currently, but I don’t think it will be a clear picture until November or so.

Roscola says…
Those two explosive seasons were no fluke; we can’t doubt Van Persie’s credentials. Louis van Gaal knows and rates him, yet he failed to really ignite Van Persie at the World Cup and there are worrying signs that injuries are coming back to haunt the striker. From a Fantasy point of view, the 3-5-2 system negates any positional advantage he once had over Wayne Rooney and the extra money makes it look like the latter will always be a valid alternative to the Dutchman.

Mark Says…
My love affair with van Persie may well be at an end, but the soft spot I hold for him will doubtless have me considering acquisition at some point. Rooney’s form and the fact that Van Gaal is adamant on playing two central strikers does cast doubt over the potential on offer, however. For me, and doubtless many others, I need to see clear evidence that Van Persie is the stronger and more productive option over a consistent spell before I’d be willing to change the current thinking on the United strikers. Right now, Rooney has the edge and we’re hoping he can deliver value by keeping pace with this team-mate. Underestimating Van Persie is dangerous, however. He definitely has the ability to soar away from Rooney and the rest of the pack in the Golden Boot race, particularly if he can remain fit and the likes of Daniel Sturridge and Sergio Aguero suffer setbacks, fatigue and rotation. Events will need to align but that could happen. Evs and I could be snuggling under those RVP duvets by Christmas.