Robin van Persie unhappy with bench role at Fenerbahce

Robin van Persie's time in Fenerbahce is off to a rough start following the forward's complaints about the lack of playing time he's received of late.

The Dutch forward, who moved to the Turkish side from Manchester United during the summer, hit out at coach Vitor Pereira after finding himself on the bench to start Fenerbahce's encounter with Bursaspor.

Despite scoring the winning goal after he was introduced as a substitute in the second half, Van Persie admitted his frustrations to Lig TV.

"To be honest, I am not very happy at this moment," he said.

"I was not happy that I started on the bench. I am fully fit, physically very well and able to play for 90 minutes.

"The only right answer I could give was with what I did: helping the team to get the victory."

Pereira, however, defended his decision to leave Van Persie off the starting squad, saying that it's his job to make such decisions, regardless if they ruffle the feathers of his high-profile players.

"I would play more players if we were allowed to play 22 or 25 players.

"The players can like or not like what I do, but I must take decisions. I am happy with Van Persie's performance after being brought on to the pitch.

"It would be bad if he wasn't unhappy about being a substitute. This proves that he wants to play."

- With translation from The Telegraph