Get the latest United transfer window updates, pre-season news and analysis delivered straight to your inbox every day for free Former Manchester United striker Robin van Persie has sent the club a lighthearted present request for his 38th birthday.
But instead of a book, some clothes or an electronic gadget, he asked his former side to go out and sign one of the greatest footballers in the history of the game, Lionel Messi.
The footballing world was shocked on Thursday when Barcelona announced that were unable to sign Lionel Messi to a new deal allowing him to look for a new club.
Messi is a player that United's rivals Man City have been strongly linked with in the past, but reports suggest Paris Saint-Germain could sign the Argentine on
Read more on manchestereveningnews.co.uk