Ferguson: Van Persie may not start

Robin van Persie may not be fit enough to start for new club Manchester United at Everton on Monday, according to manager Alex Ferguson.

Netherlands international Van Persie, who scored 30 English Premier League goals last term, arrived at Old Trafford from Arsenal last week for a fee of 24 million pounds.

With the 29-year-old having had little opportunity to train with his new team-mates, Ferguson has said he may not hand an immediate debut to the forward.

“He hasn’t played much,” Ferguson told reporters.

“We are going to assess him … and chat with him, see how he feels himself.

“Adrenalin will help, if I choose to start him, but I think it’s important he had a training session on Friday morning.

“Hopefully the weekend will give me a good idea on whether he should start or I should put him on the bench.”

Ferguson also hailed the club’s forward options following Van Persie’s arrival, with the likes of Wayne Rooney, Danny Welbeck and Javier Hernandez also competing for a striking berth.

“We’ve got a great combination of strikers now,” he said.

“It will be difficult for me but it’s better to have another great player rather than worrying if you’ve got the right player.”