Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has hailed striker Robin van Persie as “world class” and believes he could be capable of winning the Ballon d’Or next season if he keeps up his current form.
Wenger watched his Dutch striker score the first and make two more in Saturday’s 3-0 win over West Bromwich Albion at the Emirates Stadium, which sent Arsenal to within three points of the Premier League top four.
Van Persie has scored eight goals in his last six league starts and Wenger believes his man belongs in the category of the world’s finest five players.
And although the Arsenal manager concedes this year Barcelona playmaker Lionel Messi’s has the world player of the year award in the bag, he believes his striker could be a contender next year.
“The only thing you know is ‘world class’. When I was a kid, in Germany they had three rankings: national class, international class and world class,” he said.
“At world class there were always only four or five players in that category but I would put van Persie into that calibre.
“There is some quality there. And of course, certainly Messi will win the best player in the world award, deservedly so, because he won everything.
“But let’s let van Persie enjoy the full season and we can make an assessment about him. Let’s not put too much pressure on him yet.”
Arsenal have risen from a position just above the relegation zone following their 8-2 loss to Manchester United to one level on points with fifth-placed Tottenham.
Their resurgence has largely been down to van Persie’s goals, but the fact he set up Thomas Vermaelen and Mikel Arteta for Arsenal’s second and third pleased Wenger greatly.
“At the moment it is difficult to stop him. He wasn’t only a goalscorer today, he was a provider as well, which is what I like from my strikers,” he said.
“We have made some improvement, that is for sure, but there is still room. I always said let’s come back in December, because we knew there were real tests in Chelsea and after that could we straight away win having won a big game.
“We are not at the same level we were one month ago, but we still have some work to do.”
The win was Arsenal’s fourth in a row in the Premier League, although West Bromwich Albion were not the most potent they will come across in the Premier League.
In fact they offered next to nothing in attack.
Manager Roy Hodgson was missing his first choice strike pairing of Peter Odemwingie and Shane Long due to injury, but he bristled at any talk of his players failing to put up a fight.
“One thing we did do was put in a hell of a shift,” Hodgson said. “We had to because we were up against an Arsenal team that was in very good form and was rampant.
“Maybe you could say we were lacking in quality. To say we didn’t work hard is an accusation bordering on the scandalous.
“Van Persie was very good, but he gets good help with the quality and passing and movement. On a day like today when the quality is that good it is going to be difficult for a lot of teams.”
