Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has praised the way that Robin van Persie has adapted to life as a Manchester United player.

The Dutch striker, who joined the Red Devils from Arsenal in the summer, has scored 16 Premier League goals to help United open up a seven-point advantage at the top of the table.

However, despite having hailed Van Persie's impact, Ferdinand has insisted that the United squad are not getting too carried away just yet.

"Robin is an important player. The manager saw something in him and made it his mission to buy him this summer. At the moment, thankfully, he is doing what he came here to do," he told PA Sport. "No matter how you win the league, it is always mainly down to a group of players rather than one individual, but currently he is scoring the goals.

"He is not only scoring though, he holds the ball up well and brings others into play. He does a fantastic job. But we are not at the end of the season yet. No medals have been handed out.

"We don't want to jump about too much. Up to now he has done fantastically well, but the job is still there to be done."

Next up for United is a trip to West Ham United in the FA Cup on Saturday evening.