Van Persie has not scored for almost 12 hours... so, will his goal drought now cost him the Player of the Year awards?

His goals were blazing a trail to the Barclays Premier League title for Manchester United, and he was being touted as a near-certainty to be voted the season’s outstanding performer by both his peers and the country’s football writers.

The Premier League crown is surely still destined for Old Trafford, despite a last act of defiance by outgoing champions Manchester City on Monday night, but the second half of the double is looking increasingly open to question.

The goals that set United apart from the rest have dried up for Robin Van Persie, and he is beginning to wear the same slightly bewildered look that Fernando Torres has struggled to shake off since leaving Liverpool for Chelsea.

Van Persie's goals this season

Changed days: Robin Van Persie can't find the back of the net for love nor money after his blistering start

When the awards will be announced

PFA Player of the Year - Sunday, April 28

FWA Footballer of the year - Thursday, May 9

The drought isn’t quite as severe as the one Torres endured between October 2011 and March 2012, when he managed to go 25 hours and 41 minutes without finding the net and cut such a forlorn figure, he had the entire nation willing him on by the end.

Van Persie’s barren spell currently stands at just 11 hours 24 minutes but still does little for the theory that he will score goals all day long. Another blank at Stoke on Sunday, and he will have gone half a day without scoring once.

Of course, he remains an integral part of United’s push for the finishing line, and Sir Alex Ferguson eulogised about his role in their goal and overall industry in the 2-1 derby defeat by City, describing him as ‘absolutely fantastic.’

That’s as maybe, but those with a vote are unlikely to be swayed by assists or work rate when deciding whether the United striker should be PFA Player of the Year or FWA Footballer of the Year.

The latter will be held on May 9 this year, significantly later than last year when the evening was held in April.

Stunning start: Van Persie was an instant hit at United as his goals fired them to the Premier League summit

It was his eye for an opening and ability to exploit it that justified a £24million transfer fee last summer, and that lethal combination served him so well up to the turn of the year, he appeared an overwhelming favourite to see off the likes of Gareth Bale and Luis Suarez for the top individual awards.

From the moment he hooked a clever volley into the Fulham net on his home debut in August, it was clear his instinctive finishing was going to light up the Premier League, and so it proved. For a while, anyway.

He followed up with a last-minute hat-trick header at Southampton, to snatch a 3-2 win and marked the arrival of his old club Arsenal at Old Trafford with an almost inevitable opening goal at the beginning of November.

A dramatic injury-time winner against City at The Etihad Stadium was one of five Van Persie goals in December and he matched that impressive tally in January, helped along the way by another crucial strike in a home victory over fierce rivals Liverpool.

Watch Van Persie's goals for the Red Devils this season

In doubt: Van Persie was the leading contender for both the PFA (above) and FWA end-of-season awards

There seemed to be no stopping him, but the way a late opportunity was squandered at Sunderland recently illustrated how a previously unshakeable self-belief appears to have ebbed away. While it would once have been dispatched without a second thought, he seemed to hesitate for a moment before presenting Simon Mignolet with the easiest of saves.

The figures confirm the extent to which his sure touch has deserted him. Just one goal in February and none since. In March, he at least managed 10 on-target goal attempts out of 17. This month, the total stands at just one from five, with little to suggest it is about to improve, judging by the frustration etched across his features on Monday night.

There is, of course, every reason for arguing that while form is temporary, class is permanent, and there’s little doubt Van Persie will come good again. It just may not be in time to add a Player or Footballer of the Year accolade to the title winner’s medal that is heading his way.