Wenger demands respect for returning Van Persie

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger insists that former striker Robin van Persie will be treated with respect upon his return to the Emirates next week.

The 29-year-old Dutchman joined current league leaders Manchester United in the summer and was earlier booed by the Arsenal fans in the away fixture at Manchester. And now, if United manage to win against Aston Villa in their game later tonight, they will travel to Emirates as the Premier League champions. Talking to the media, Wenger said of the striker who spent six years at Arsenal:

“We will respect the players that have played for us a long time as we always have done and treat them well before and after the game.

“As a champion or not as a champion it is exactly the same. What I want is for us to have a good game and to beat them, it doesn’t matter what kind if status they come with.”

Meanwhile, the Frenchman also reiterated that club captain Thomas Vermaelen is going nowhere, despite starting the last few matches from the bench. Speaking of the Belgian, Wenger said:

“Thomas is one of the best defenders in England, like the two others [Mertesacker and Koscielny]. I told them at the start of the season we have three outstanding central defenders.

“It is about game by game that I make a decision, and it is about partnership as well. Vermaelen has been a substitute for quite a few games and he still plays a big part in the game. I don’t see him as a substitute at all.”