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LONDON. — Robin van Persie admits he has not been pulling his weight for Manchester United this season and is in the dark over his future at Old Trafford.

The Dutchman admits he has not been good enough for Manchester United this season and must raise his level to earn a new deal.

Van Persie (31) says considering the attacking line-up in Louis van Gaal’s expensive assembled squad they should be scoring more goals.

After amassing 22 and 37 in his last two seasons with Arsenal and 30 and 18 in this first two campaigns with United, the Holland international has managed only eight this season and is on course for his lowest tally since netting 10 in an injury-ravaged campaign with Arsenal in 2009-10.

And his struggles in front of goal were underlined when he missed a chance he would normally have taken as United were held to a goal-less draw by Cambridge in the FA Cup last Friday.

Van Persie said: “Everyone in the team is responsible. Everyone feels responsible. I do definitely. This year I have played something like 20 games and I have scored eight goals. I am not happy with that. I want to score more.

“I will do everything, every day in training and during the games, I will keep doing what I have been doing for the last 10 years to make those goals. It makes so many people happy, including me.

“In my last couple of games I haven’t scored. But again, can I really blame myself for that? I am always asking me that question.

“If I scored that chance at Cambridge we would have won the game. Then we are having a very different conversation. It is a very thin line between scoring a load or goals and only a couple.

“I know what I have to do to create those opportunities. I will keep doing that. At the moment, it is not enough. I know that. I will do everything I can to improve that.”

Van Persie accepts he needs to recapture his goal touch if he is to convince United to extend his contract which has 18 months to run.

He added: “It is not up to me. For the moment I am staying here for 18 months. That is it really. I can’t look into the future. I don’t know what is going to happen after that. We shall have to wait and see.”

After the disappointment of failing to see off Cambridge at the first attempt, Van Persie admits United were lifted by seeing Chelsea and Manchester City and several other Premier League teams beaten by lower division opposition.

He added: “After the game against Cambridge, everyone was a little bit down. You have to give them credit because it was quite a stunt what they did.

“But in a way on Saturday the whole mood changed. City were out, Chelsea were out and suddenly we are in it with a home tie against Cambridge. And of the so-called big clubs we are the highest placed team left in the competition. So does that make us favourite? I don’t know. But I am very happy that we are in it.

“It’s been 11 years since United last won the Cup. It was the first thing Sir Alex Ferguson mentioned to me when I signed — he said he wanted to win the Cup again. This year we have a big chance. We want to win it but again we can only look at the next game against Cambridge.” The replay at Old Trafford has been confirmed for next Tuesday.

Van Persie is desperate to win the cup with United, who have gone through a barren spell in the competition of late.

“I think it is vital (we win a trophy this year), especially with this cup,” he said. “I think it has been 11 years since Manchester United won it last. That was actually the first thing that Sir Alex Ferguson said to me as well — he said ‘I want to win that cup’.

“We want to win it.”

Van Perise has also admitted that Manchester United players are still confident in van Gaal, despite a recent run of poor results.

The 0-0 draw at League Two Cambridge United means United have won just two of their six matches since the New Year, against Yeovil and QPR, and just three of their last eight.

The former Arsenal striker insists the rest of his team-mates are fully behind their manager.

“I have known him for over two years now, I know how he works,” Van Persie added.

“We believe in him. We will still believe in him. The players have been working with him only four or six months, everyone believes in themselves, our team-mates and our staff. We are confident it will change.

“Him and his coaching staff and we as players are trying everything we can to win games, not only win games but win them in a nice way as well.” — The Daily Express.