Manchester United hero names 19-year-old son in matchday squad for first time - despite previously branding him a 'loser'

Feyenoord boss Robin van Persie named his son Shaqueel in a matchday squad for the first time at the weekend – although the teenager will have to wait for his debut after remaining an unused substitute in their 4-2 defeat to NEC Nijmegen.

The former Manchester United and Arsenal forward, who was appointed Feyenoord head coach in February, was forced to play down crisis talk after his side slipped to a third consecutive defeat on Sunday.

There was at least one silver lining that came in the inclusion of a new face in the squad – Van Persie’s 19-year-old son Shaqueel.

Following in his father’s footsteps, Shaqueel joined Feyenoord, where Van Persie had begun his own career, in 2017 before signing his first professional contract in 2022. 

This came after a two-year spell in Manchester City’s academy, which he joined in 2015.

A highly rated striker, Shaqueel has trained with the first team several times and featured in friendly matches, but he had not previously made a matchday squad. Even without stepping onto the pitch on Sunday, the occasion marked a significant milestone in his development.

Van Persie Sr has been eager to ensure his son stays grounded, evidenced by an incident a few years ago when Shaqueel was playing for Feyenoord’s Under-14s.

On the car journey home, Shaqueel had complained about his coach and teammates after spending a match on the bench. The 102-cap Netherlands international used the moment to teach his son an important lesson.

Speaking on the High Performance Podcast in 2020, Van Persie said: 'I told him, "Shaqueel, you sound like a loser when you talk like that. You sound like you lost. You're blaming him, blaming her, blaming this, blaming everything, but I don’t hear one single about yourself.

'"Winners take control, they blame themselves and look where they can improve. This is what you should be thinking about. Ask yourself, are you a loser, or are you a winner?

“‘It doesn’t matter to me because I’m your dad. The only job I have, and your mum has, is to get you ready for life when you’re 20.

'“You can make your mistakes, you can do whatever you want. I love you the same amount. It doesn’t matter to me whether you make it as a footballer or not.

'"But you say that this is your passion, so you have to take control of your life and stop complaining".'

Van Persie said he noticed an immediate shift in Shaqueel’s attitude afterwards: 'I saw this tiger! Training, working, running. And I thought, "Okay, he realised he has to take control of his life."'

It has been a challenging period for the Feyenoord manager, with Sunday’s loss to NEC – which included a stunning goal from just inside the halfway line – marking a third straight defeat.

Next up is the visit of Celtic in the Europa League on Thursday, but Van Persie insists there is no reason to panic ahead of facing the Hoops.

He said: 'You could call it a crisis if you play really poorly and don't show anything. That's not the case.

'We played a fantastic first half against NEC. We should really have won that match. It's not good enough, and this isn't Feyenoord, but every match has its own story.

'But we have now conceded ten goals in our last four league matches, and that's too much. And to lose the last three matches is unworthy of Feyenoord. What happened was we lost a few tackles and were sloppy.

'But we have to defend better in our next match.'