Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said Thursday that, pending a formal agreement, Dutch striker Robin van Persie could make his debut in Monday's season opener against Everton (ESPN2, ESPNDeportes, 3 p.m. ET).
Ferguson's side confirmed Wednesday night Manchester United had agreed to a reported 20 million pound deal ($31.3 million) for the Dutch striker, who is expected to undergo a physical Thursday.
Ferguson said the Dutchman could join Wayne Rooney in a partnership comprising the two top scorers in the Premier League last season. Van Persie led the league with 30 goals with Rooney scored 27.
"They are two fantastic players and it's great to have the both of them," Ferguson told British media Wednesday. "It's great to have a player of van Persie's qualities coming into the squad. He is on his way up from London, he will have a medical later this afternoon and we hope that goes according to plan.
"His agent is in talks with David [Gill, United's CEO]. Hopefully everything will be tied up by the end of the day. I am sure he will be available for Monday's game."
Meanwhile, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said Wednesday the Gunners were left with "no choice" but to sell van Persie to Manchester United.
"He is at Manchester United, unfortunately for us. The transfer was finalized in the afternoon," Wenger said while working for French TV station TF1. "It's never great to lose players of that quality but he only had a year contract, so we do not have a choice.
"We wanted to avoid that at all cost, but we weren't able to. Honestly, I'd have preferred to sell him abroad, to PSG, for example, over Manchester United.
"They have the advantage of having played against him and knowing his great class. He's truly an exceptional player in every sense of the word.
"We have already recruited since we bought (Olivier) Giroud and (Lukas) Podolski, who originally were intended to offset the departure of van Persie," Wenger said of Arsenal's preseason moves.
There could yet be more departures from Arsenal before the end of the transfer window, with Barcelona said to be close to agreeing to a 15 million pound ($23.5 million) deal for Cameroon midfielder Alex Song, while Andrey Arshavin and Denmark forward Nicklas Bendtner could also move on.
Wenger, though, is also likely to look to use some of the extra cash generated to finalize his team, with longtime target Yann M'Vila still on the radar, as Rennes hold out for a 17 million pound (26.7 million) fee, along with Real Madrid Turkish midfielder Nuri Sahin.
Defender Laurent Koscielny told Arsenal Player: "We saw last year that we had some difficulties at the start of the season, but afterwards you saw the real team.
"You need to work together, win together and help teammates, and if [the start to] the season is good we can do something in the league. If we start well we can get into the race for the title."
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (ankle) and Theo Walcott (thigh) will be assessed after both pulled out of England's international friendly Wednesday against Italy in Berne with injuries.
Van Persie, who joined Arsenal from Feyenoord in 2004, refused to sign a new contract with Arsenal, saying he wasn't happy with the direction the club was heading.
Arsenal hasn't won a trophy since 2005 and has been unable to keep hold of its leading players in recent seasons, with midfielders Cesc Fabregas joining Barcelona and no fewer than four players having left for Premier League champion Manchester City -- Samir Nasri, Emmanuel Adebayor, Kolo Toure and Gael Clichy -- since 2009.
When United completes the signing of van Persie, he will join a star-studded strikeforce that already includes Rooney and Danny Welbeck, Mexico forward Javier Hernandez and former Bulgaria international Dimitar Berbatov.
Berbatov would be the player likely to make way for van Persie.
Since announcing on his personal website last month that he wouldn't be signing a new contract with Arsenal, the 29-year-old van Persie also had been linked with City and Juventus. But United had emerged in the past two weeks as the club most likely to come forward with a bid.
Information from The Associated Press and Press Association was used in this report.
Originally Posted by steelerfan
In response to Eric...
Man City is a possibility. Man U would make people here
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