Arsene Wenger finds it 'strange' to see Robin van Persie in a Manchester United shirt

Before the big game between Arsenal and Manchester United at Old Trafford, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger admitted that it was not easy for him to see Robin van Persie playing in a Manchester United shirt.

“Of course it’s strange because for me he is an Arsenal man,” Wenger said.

“I took him when he was a very, very young player. We have gone together through very difficult periods and he became a world-class player and for me he is an Arsenal player.”

Arsenal failed in their bid to get Robin van Persie to sign a new contract and eventually sold him to the Red Devils for £24m last season. Wenger also went on to say that it was former United coach Rene Meulensteen who influenced van Persie to complete a transfer to Manchester United.

“Robin van Persie had been convinced by the Dutch coach who was at Manchester United, that played a big part,” Wenger said.

Wenger said that it wasn’t Sir Alex who convinced him to sell van Persie to United, but van Persie himself.

“It was more the fact that I had the conversations I had with Robin van Persie that convinced me, it is not the talk with Alex Ferguson that convinced me to sell Robin van Persie to Man United. It is the head-to-head talks I had with van Persie many, many times that convinced me that I had to sell him.”

“I think in the end I had to decide ‘do I do it or not?’ knowing I will get huge criticism for doing it. But I just decided because at the end of the day I felt it was the best thing to do.”