Robin van Persie is appointed new manager of Dutch giants Feyenoord

Robin van Persie has been appointed the manager of Feyenoord, with the former Manchester United and Arsenal forward signing a deal until 2027.

The 41-year-old, who won the Premier League title with United in 2013 and FA Cup with Arsenal in 2005, leaves Heerenveen to take over at De Kuip. Van Persie collected seven victories from his 23 games in charge at Heerenveen, leading the club to ninth place in the Eredivisie.

Van Persie began his playing career with Feyenoord before moving to Arsenal in 2004, joining Manchester United eight years later. He left Old Trafford for Fenerbahce in 2015 and then returned to Feyenoord in 2018, retiring a year later. Van Persie also earned 102 caps for the Netherlands, scoring 50 international goals.

In May 2020, the Rotterdam native started work as an assistant to Dick Advocaat at Feyenoord, and later took on coaching roles in his hometown club’s youth setup. He signed a two-year deal with Heerenveen in the summer but had experienced mixed results, including a record 9-1 away defeat by AZ Alkmaar in September.

“Everyone knows how special my bond with Feyenoord is,” said Van Persie. “I am enormously looking forward, together with a strong staff, to working with the player group at 1908 [the club’s training ground] and then in De Kuip, supported by the Legion [fans], playing matches and achieving successes together.”

Feyenoord are third in the Eredivisie, 11 points behind the leaders, Ajax. They will play Inter in the last 16 of the Champions League after knocking Milan out in the playoffs under the interim manager, Pascal Bosschaart.

Previously the club’s under-21s coach, Bosschaart stepped up after Brian Priske was sacked on 11 February. Priske, who was previously the coach of Sparta Prague, had been appointed in the summer as the replacement for the Liverpool-bound Arne Slot.