Arsenal's Van Persie celebrates his first goal against Norwich City during their English Premier League soccer match in Norwich
Arsenal's Robin Van Persie (R) celebrates his first goal against Norwich City during their English Premier League soccer match at Carrow Road in Norwich November 19, 2011. REUTERS

On current form Arsenal striker Robin Van Persie must be considered the favourite for the PFA Player of the Year and the Football Writers' equivalent at the end of the season, according to BBC football pundit Garth Crooks.

The prolific Dutchman continued his remarkable start to the season by scoring his 15th Premier League goal during Arsenal's slender 1-0 victory over QPR. The 28-year-old is only the fifth player in Premier League history to reach 15 goals in his first 15 appearances, joining Alan Shearer, Andy Cole, Les Ferdinand and Thierry Henry in the elite club.

The aforementioned Crooks believes Arsene Wenger's captain and talisman is surely the frontrunner for individual honours at the end of the season given his stunning form for Arsenal. Crooks only recently tipped Yaya Toure as the most likely candidate to succeed last season's winners Garth Bale and Scott Parker in the individual reckoning, yet the indecisive Football Focus pundit now concedes the Emirates hero is difficult to ignore.

Since the start of last season, Robin Van Persie has now scored or assisted 44 Premier League goals for Arsenal and has subsequently been central to Wenger's side hugely impressive revival.

Since their humbling defeat at Old Trafford, when many wrongly predicted the demise of Arsenal and in particular Arsene Wenger, the Gunners' have embarked on an impressive run of form that has reignited their efforts to maintain their place in the Premier League's top four. Van Persie has been the central figure in their efforts to maintain the pace on the two Manchester clubs, and Crooks suggests he is the division's standout individual.

"At the risk of sounding like a broken record, Arsenal forward Robin van Persie is playing the kind of football we all knew he was capable of." Crooks told the BBC.

"But I doubt whether we would have been so unanimous about the level of maturity he has shown in doing it. He showed tremendous patience as Arsenal missed chance after chance, only to convert arguably the most difficult one of all with the most exquisite volley."

Less than a week after touting Manchester City's Yaya Toure as the favourite for individual honours at the end of the season, Crooks now suggests the Arsenal captain is surely the leading contender.

"Last week, I predicted that Yaya Toure would win the PFA Player of the Year trophy. I think I'm going to have to eat my hat after all and watch Van Persie lift the award and, at this rate, the Football Writers' one too."