Van Persie was right to leave Arsenal, says Evra

Robin van Persie of Manchester United celebrates scoring his second goal with Ryan Giggs and Patrice Evra (L) during the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester United and Aston Villa at Old Trafford on April 22, 2013 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

Manchester United fullback Patrice Evra claims Robin van Persie made the right decision to leave Arsenal and join the newly crowned Premier League champions.

Van Persie transferred to United in summer last year after spending eight seasons at Arsenal and has had a major impact on the title winning side, scoring 25 goals in his first season. And following a 1-1 draw against Arsenal at the Emirates, where the Dutchman was booed at every touch by the fans of his former side, Evra is having a difficult time digesting the fans’ reaction towards the striker.

“He hasn’t made the wrong choice. It was a long time that he didn’t win the league [at Arsenal]. He has come to Manchester United and won it.

“I still don’t understand why the fans boo him. I am disappointed that the fans have quickly forgotten what he did for the club. I think he felt it as well.”

Arsenal have lost a number of their key men owing to their lack of trophies in the last few seasons, with Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri, Gael Clichy and Robin van Persie leaving the club for greener pastures. However, the Gunners have coped well and showed great spirit in the game at Emirates, clinching the first goal within the first 6 minutes, and Evra admits it was hard to play against them. Having clinched the title with 4 games to spare, United were accused of playing at an easier tempo. But Evra says not playing to their full potential is not in the DNA of the club.

“They were one of the most aggressive teams I have played against. It was good to see Arsenal like that. They always get abuse about being a team with good football but not being aggressive enough. This time they were.

A lot of people expect to see Manchester United not playing because we have already won the title. But this is not the mentality of Manchester United. We want to win every game, even pre-season or friendlies.

People laugh when I say it was a big game but that is the Manchester United culture. Even if we finish the job and have already won the title, we always want to win.”