In the summer of 2004, Manchester United and Arsenal both made moves in the transfer market that would completely transform both clubs future. It was the same summer window in which Chelsea brought in Didier Drogba from Marseille for £24 million, the same summer in which Michael Owen joined Real Madrid for £12 million, and the same summer in which Liverpool sold Emile Heskey to Birmingham City for over £6 million - clearly a number clubs were very busy purchasing prolific goal-machines in this window.

However, the two talents whom Manchester United and Arsenal purchased that summer are talents who proved last season that they have grown into the two best forwards in the Premier League. United spent a hefty £25.6 million and Arsenal spent a typically astute £2.75 for their history makers; Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie respectively. Van Persie won last seasons Premier League Golden Boot with a marvellous 30 goals, as Rooney stood proudly with just three goals less.
 
Rooney has averaged almost 23 goals a season at United whilst van Persie has averaged just over 15 goals a season in the same time period. However, while the Arsenal captain has never been quite as prolific throughout his career as Wayne Rooney, the 2011/12 season proved just how much this £2.75 million signing of 2004 from Feyenoord had grown, and his 37 goals in all competitions have helped draw significant interest in the man with just 12 months remaining on his Arsenal contract.
 
Van Persie is now looking to move away, stating that he will not be renewing his contract with Arsenal, and who is well in the race to sign the Premier League's leading goalscorer? Wayne Rooney's Manchester United. Sir Alex Ferguson is attempting to unite last seasons two most prolific goalscorers in the peak of their careers to create a forward line which would strike fear into any defence and would be potent enough to compete with the current Champions of England, Manchester City's multimillion pound all-star forward line.
 
On paper, with Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie leading the team into battle, you would probably expect an average of something like 6 goals a game for United. On paper, this would be the strike partnership of a fantasy team, a dream team, a team beyond the wildest imagination.
 
On paper, this would be the strike partnership that would demolish opponents with ease, knock down defences like an omnipotent battering ram and race towards the Premier League title like a juggernaut, lifting it after all that without breaking sweat. It's called a 'fantasy' for a reason.
 
In reality, this is unlikely to happen. Arsene Wenger and Arsenal are hardly likely to agree to letting van Persie leave to a rival Premier League side, and if they did, it surely wouldn't be Manchester United, one of Arsenal's biggest and bitterest rivals of the past few decades.
 
In reality, even if van Persie did agree to join United, his goals would have to be created by his team-mates. However much people may like to say it, Arsenal were not a one man team last season. Theo Walcott and Alex Song contributed 11 assists each - mostly for van Persie's goals, and if United were to forge a successful partnership for Rooney and van Persie, the midfielders would have to continue in the same vein as last season by creating even more chances for their strikers.
 
In reality, despite both Rooney and van Persie being outstanding individual players, there is no telling how well they would play together and whether or not they could create a successful understanding of each-others games. This is just a minor point, as having both Rooney and van Persie in the team is hardly going to be a terrible issue for Sir Alex Ferguson, but it is a cautious view one must take before getting too ahead of oneself.
 
Of course, despite the possible drawbacks of having the two best strikers in the Premier League in one team, if a deal were to materialize and United did sign van Persie, I doubt too many United fans will be complaining, especially in light of the prospect of about 72 goals from their strikers alone in just a season.
 
Robin and Rooney; unlikely but excitingly possible.
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