Fanshawe FC: United still top team in Premier League

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Robin Van Persie shows fans a man who has two thumbs and can score about 15 times that total this season.

As Robin Van Persie continued his incredible run of form this Christmas break, it became clear to football fans that Manchester United is serious about this season.

With a younger club and a few pieces that didn't seem to fit the mold (Rafael da Silva, among others), the team has become by far the best in England, tallying a seven-point gap at the top after Christmas. Individual performances, combined with a great interplay, have lead the team to an amazing season so far.

Shinji Kagawa has to be one of the best purchases of the season, even though he has been out injured. He embodies how his former club, Borussia Dortmund, played: crisp passing and great ball control. The figure Man U paid to snag Kagawa has not been released, but it was likely worth it. In the two Champions League games he played in, he racked up two assists, with two goals going in domestically in eight games — a pretty good stat line, considering. Watch for him to come back and make an instant impact.

Wayne Rooney has had a great season even though he's not on pace to bag 30-plus goals.

Rooney plays hard on the ball but has a gifted touch. He used this to go on an unreal tear early in 2010 and finished that season with 34 goals after getting hurt in March. Back then, no one could have predicted the outstanding abilities that he's showing now. He was considered a one-dimensional goal-scorer, and now he's turned into a lynchpin in their attacking buildup.

Lastly, there is Van Persie. The stars have aligned for this man, who I believe is comparable to the likes of Lionel Messi at this point. With 30 goals last season, and reaching towards that total with 16 already in this season, he has been a great asset to the team. Given a poacher's role, he can effortlessly peel defenders, which is so crucial in their system. A striker usually sits in behind RvP and the results are deadly when that striker is, say, Rooney. Rooney dominates the field like a pitbull, using his size and speed to his advantage. He's truly having some of the best seasons the EPL has seen in a while. There is a lot of football left to be played; United still sits in the FA Cup and Champions League, so maybe they have a few more things to show critics. The Red Devils look as dangerous as ever heading into 2013.