Jordan Henderson relying on big favour from former Manchester United rival

Jordan Henderson is looking for a big favour from his old rival Henderson, who lifted the trophy for five years ago, will add the Dutch title to his medal collection today if the team that Van Persie now coaches secures victory against .

The England midfielder will lead Ajax into their home game with NEC Nijmegen later in the day - and the Amsterdam giants are hoping it will turn into a Eredivisie title party before a ball has been kicked inside the Johan Cruyff Arena. A PSV victory followed by an Ajax defeat would take the race down to the wire - with the current leaders stuttering slightly in recent weeks with a draw against Sparta Rotterdam and a 4-0 thrashing by Utrecht before a nervy 2-1 win at Willem II.

Van Persie, the brilliant striker who 12 years ago scored 26 goals in his debut season at Old Trafford to help Sir win the last of his 13 Premier League titles, needs three points to boost his club’s chances of qualifying for the after being dealt a huge blow by on Thursday night. United prevailed against Athletic Bilbao to set up a meeting with for the trophy - and a place in the Champions League.

If Bilbao had won the then three Dutch clubs would have gone directly into the group stage of the tournament. That has now been reduced to two by the all-Premier League final - and Van Persie’s Feyenoord are currently five points behind PSV in third place and facing the prospect of going into the play-offs for the right to join Europe’s elite

The Rotterdam club are in top form, having won seven successive games during the run-in. And while Ajax are Feyenoord’s biggest rivals, the memories of surrendering the title on the final day in both 2007 and 2016 means they will want to avoid going to the wire once again.

READ MORE:

READ MORE:

Van Persie said: “A victory for Athletic Bilbao would have been much better for Feyenoord because of the extra Champions League spot which was possible if they had gone through.

“So I was torn in two ways because I also wanted Man United to do well. I enjoyed United’s success when I watched them. They have had a difficult season and yet they are in a European final. That is really wonderful.

“I could tell the joy from the faces of both players and fans at Old Trafford. I was focusing on the fans in the stands and it really meant something to them.”

Van Persie, who spent eight years with before moving to Manchester in a £30million deal in 2012, was disappointed that the Gunners failed to reach the Champions League final after being eliminated by Paris Saint-Germain. He added: “I also wanted Arsenal to do well because I wish them as much success as United. They are both my old clubs.

“I was hopeful in the first half-hour, when I saw how Arsenal were playing against . But they were not able to cope with the quality of PSG, who deserved to go to the final.”

Van Persie will equal a record that has stood for 56 years if his team overcomes Eindhoven in the De Kuip. Legendary Dutch coach Ernst Happel is the only man to have won his first eight games in charge of the Rotterdam club - and a year later he guided them to the 1970 European Cup.

Feyenoord decided to appoint former Portsmouth defender Brian Priske as successor to last summer. That prompted Van Persie to resign from his role in the academy to take over at Heerenveen, but he returned to the club that launched him as a player when Priske was sacked after just six months.

and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our