Manchester United raised eyebrows when they signed Robin van Persie from Arsenal, poaching Arsene Wenger's star striker
Robin van Persie, the former Arsenal star who made a headline-grabbing switch to Manchester United in August 2012, has opened up about his reasons for the move. The transfer to Old Trafford, which saw the Dutch forward leave the Emirates Stadium for a £24m fee and sign a four-year contract, was met with astonishment by many.
Van Persie's decision paid dividends as he clinched the Premier League title in his first season under Sir Alex Ferguson, eight years after his last trophy win with the Gunners - the FA Cup in 2005. Adding to the drama of his departure, he received a guard of honour from his ex-teammates amidst a mix of applause and boos from the Arsenal faithful upon his return to the Emirates.
He continued his winning ways by securing the Community Shield with United shortly after, following a 2-0 victory over Wigan Athletic at Wembley Stadium. Despite becoming a contentious figure among the Arsenal supporters, Van Persie maintained that there were 'no hard feelings' regarding his move.
Explaining his choice to join United, he said: "Everyone knows me by now. I'm a lover of football. In that respect I'm quite principled. It is always quite difficult to find a perfect match but I do feel that this is perfect for me.
"Manchester United breathe football and if you look at all the players, the stadium and the manager, my choice was made very soon in my mind if you were basing it on those two clubs. I always listen to the little boy inside of me in these situations - when you have to make the harder decisions in life.
"What does he want? That boy was screaming for Man United. This is like a family club. In that respect it isn't a big difference [to Arsenal]. Let me make one thing clear - because I don't want things twisted - is that from my side, and Arsenal as well, there are no hard feelings.
"There were certain elements which were vital to me that we had a different view. That is life. Nobody is angry at me and I'm not angry at them."
Later, speaking to Premier League Productions, Van Persie said: "Ferguson made the difference for me in my choice to choose Manchester United. Because of the way he manages, the stories I heard, because of the players that were there.
"I really wanted to win and when I look at that team of (Ryan) Giggs, (Michael) Carrick, (Paul) Scholes, (Nemanja) Vidic, (Rio) Ferdinand they were all winners, they won it all."
During his time at Arsenal, Van Persie was Champions League runner-up in 2006 and League Cup runner-up in 2011. He added: "I was like 'I want to be part of that'. I was in that period of my life where I felt like a winner but I wasn't so I had to win. I needed to go to a team that knew how to win."
Old Trafford will host the explosive encounter on Sunday afternoon as United lock horns with Arsenal. The Red Devils will be keen to get back on the winning track, while the Gunners aim to close the gap on table-toppers Liverpool.
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