Manchester United striker Robin van Persie has praised teammate Paul Scholes for his performance against Southampton.

Van Persie scored a hat-trick as United twice came from behind to beat Southampton 3-2 at St Mary's on Sunday.

While the Dutchman stole the headlines with his three goals, he believes that Scholes should take a large chunk of the credit.

"I have to say a big thank you to Paul Scholes. When he came on everything started ticking. Every single pass he hit was the right one. Everyone felt that, I certainly did," van Persie said.

"He hit a couple of unbelievable passes over 30 metres. With him you are always on your toes because anything can happen with his qualities. For me, he is the man of the match."

United sit fifth in the Premier League table.