The striker is set to make his 100th appearance for Oranje on Friday, but his importance shows how thin the team is up top, writes Peter McVitie.
Robin van Persie may be on the cusp of an impressive milestone with the Netherlands, as he is set to make his 100th appearance for the national team when the Dutch face Kazakhstan on Saturday, but his current situation at club and country is far from ideal. The striker’s career is in descent, and it leaves many problems for him and Oranje.
The 32-year-old has been a mainstay in the Dutch side for a decade now and has practically been untouchable for coaches throughout that period, even though large parts of his career have been plagued by injury.