Feyenoord have sacked Robin van Persie as manager after less than 16 months in charge.The Dutch former Manchester United and Arsenal striker returned to his boyhood club in February 2025.Van Persie has been sacked by Feyenoord after just under 16 months in chargeGettyVan Persie had started his coaching career with Feyenoord before taking charge of their under-18 side.After a brief spell with fellow Eredivisie outfit Heerenveen, he replaced Brian Priske in the dugout midway through last season.Having guided the club to a third-place finish, the 42-year-old went one better this term as they finished second in the table in his first full campaign in charge.However, Feyenoord ended the campaign 19 points adrift of champions PSV.Meanwhile, they were knocked out of the Europa League in the league phase as well as suffering a second-round exit in the Dutch Cup.As a result, Van Persie has now left the club despite securing a return to the Champions League in his first full season at the helm.Feyenoord statementIn a statement confirming the news, Feyenoord said: “Feyenoord will start the 2026-2027 season with a new head coach.“The club would like to thank Robin van Persie for everything he gave during his time as head coach.”Technical director Devy Rigaux added: “Robin van Persie has given everything for the club over the past 18 months.“He deserves credit for guiding the team through a challenging season and ultimately securing second place.Van Persie guided the club to Champions League qualification in his only full seasonAFP“That ensured qualification for the UEFA Champions League, which is of great importance to the club.“We conducted a thorough internal evaluation in which we looked at several factors, including the development of the team’s performances and the downward trend in points collected, both in Europe and in the Eredivisie.“The conclusion was that it would be better to start the new season with a new head coach.”Van Persie won 30 of his 58 matches across all competitions as Feyenoord boss.Those fixtures included a nine-match unbeaten run to end the most recent campaign, with his side including ex-Premier League star Raheem Sterling, whom he signed earlier this year.However, he came under fire from their own supporters in the final weeks of Van Persie’s tenure.Van Persie won 30 of his 58 matches in all competitions as Feyenoord bossGettyDuring a goalless draw with relegation-threatened Volendam in April, chants of ‘Shame on you!’ could be heard from the away end.As a player, Van Persie had two spells with Feyenoord, scoring 46 goals in 123 senior appearances for the club.Having joined the academy aged 12, he won the UEFA Cup before moving to Arsenal in 2004.The forward went on to make 280 Premier League appearances for Arsenal and Manchester United, scoring 144 goals.Following a spell with Fenerbahce, he returned to Feyenoord in January 2018 before retiring the following summer aged 35.Van Persie also scored 50 goals in 102 caps for the Netherlands during his career.