Man United’s Van Persie: We don’t want to be five or six points off the pace

Robin van Persie says Manchester United don’t want to fall five or six points off the pace after Sunday’s derby at Etihad Stadium.

The Red Devils have collected seven points from a possible 12 as David Moyes made a mixed start to his Old Trafford reign.

The defending champions, who won at The Etihad last term, face Manchester City on Sunday, and Van Persie stressed the importance of securing a positive result.

“I know this is a really important game,” Van Persie is quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.

“I personally never think in negatives, but for both sides it is really important to stay close to the top. The team who lose could be five or six
points behind after five games. It’s a lot, so we don’t want that.

“Last year’s win at City laid down a big marker for the season. We knew we’d be six points clear if we won, or scratch again [level] if we lost. So it was a massive win.

“The result helped us and harmed them. That’s what happened. It was a six-pointer in my opinion. It was very sweet.

“Hopefully, we can win again. The games are coming really quick now and we love it. This is what we are used to, this is our rhythm, a game every three or four days.

“The Champions League has started, which we really like. Sunday is a massive game. We are looking forward to it.”