Former Manchester United star Robin van Persie fell to a 9-1 defeat in just his fourth game as manager after taking over from Kees van Wonderen as manager of Heerenveen in May.

The Dutch side faced a thrashing at the hands of AZ Alkmaar in the Eredivisie on Saturday, with Luuk Brouwers scoring Heerenveen’s only goal of the fixture.

The game marked Van Persie’s fourth in charge – having secured a victory over NAC Breda last time out. The squad have so far collected four points from as many fixtures to kick off their 2024/25 campaign.

The former striker gave his assessment on the game following the shocking defeat, admitting that he was not ‘traumatised’ from the result.

“This is tough,” he told reporters. “You’ll encounter a number of bumps in your career. This was a very big bump. We learned a few more lessons from this match than we normally would. This is part of football. I have not been traumatised by this and neither have my players.

“You want to get the best out of yourself. That involves falling and getting up again.”

The striker spent time at Arsenal during his successful career in the Premier League, enjoying eight years in north London before switching to Old Trafford.

“I also know how it works,” he continued. “I also lost 8-2 to Manchester United once. That wasn’t fun either, but it’s part of being a footballer. It’s part of everyone’s journey to become the best version of themselves.

“It’s about standing with your chest out in these very situations and being proud of yourself and each other. That’s what we have to continue to do.”

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