Robin van Persie is refusing to set himself a goal target for new club Fenerbahce, whom he joined for €6.5 million from Manchester United this summer. The 31-year-old made his debut for the Turkish team on Tuesday as they drew against Shakhtar Donetsk 0-0 on home soil in their Champions League third-round qualification first leg.
Expectations are high that Van Persie can help Fenerbahce topple Galatasaray as Super Lig champions in 2015-16, but the Dutch forward stressed factors other than his own form will affect his goalscoring tally.
"The fans have made me very happy. I was very proud in my first game," he told the club's official television channel. "I couldn't wait for my first game to show my passion for Fenerbahce.
"I promise to give Fener my all and I hope it all goes well. I can't promise 10, 20 or 30 goals. This depends on the team performance, I can only promise to do the best I can."
Van Persie also referenced his prolific period in the latter half of 2010-11 with Arsenal – when he scored 18 goals in 19 league games – as an example of how he can bounce back from injury in fine form.
"I scored many goals in those five months at Arsenal after I'd been injured," the Netherlands international added. "Then I started over. Life is not always positive.
"I am never satisfied with what I've accomplished, complacency causes setbacks. I've learned a bit of Turkish. I started to work in my spare time in the classroom."
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