Robin van Persie has come to the defense of a new signing after the winger faced criticism following his debut for Feyenoord.
The experienced forward made his first appearance during Feyenoord’s 2-1 win over Telstar, coming off the bench for a short time.
Critics in the Dutch media quickly questioned his fitness, suggesting he appeared slow.
The player in question is Raheem Sterling, who joined Feyenoord as a free agent in hopes of revitalizing his career.
Sterling, a former player for Liverpool and Manchester City, has also played for Chelsea and Arsenal.
According to Goal, van Persie called the criticism “misplaced” and argued that assessing Sterling after just 30 minutes, especially after being away from competitive play for months, was unfair.
The Feyenoord manager emphasized that Sterling had not participated in full training for a long time and needed time to regain his match fitness.
Van Persie believes it would be more reasonable to evaluate Sterling’s performance in six to eight weeks, once he is fit and accustomed to the demands of the Eredivisie.
He also pointed out that Sterling’s past achievements should warrant more patience.
Sterling himself stated he is “building step by step” towards getting back to peak condition.
With his contract lasting until the end of the season, Sterling has an opportunity to prove his worth in Rotterdam.
For van Persie, the key takeaway is that context is important, and quick judgments after a short playing time do not provide a complete picture.