Fergie hails van Persie

SIR Alex Ferguson was thrilled to see Robin van Persie end his goal drought for Manchester United in the 2-0 win over Stoke — even if the striker nearly “killed” his manager with his exuberant celebrations.

Van Persie had gone 10 games without scoring but won and then converted a penalty in the 66th minute to double United’s lead after Michael Carrick had scored from a corner inside four minutes.

Van Persie ran to the touchline and heartily embraced Ferguson after finding the bottom corner, and the Scot joked: “He nearly killed me! He forgets I’m 71.

“It was an important goal. He did good work from Wayne Rooney’s pass to get the penalty.

“Then the ball moved off the spot two or three times (in the strong wind) and he showed composure to settle himself down and score.”

Ferguson played Rooney in central midfield with Van Persie and Javier Hernandez forming a front two and the England man was hugely impressive.

The United manager said: “He was brilliant. “I was thinking he possibly needed a different role in terms of getting his confidence back.

“He’s a fantastic player. I thought a spell in midfield would do him the world of good.”

United have restored a 15–point gap over Manchester City in the Premier League and need only seven points from their final six games for the title.