RVP will always be a Gunner to Wenger

The Gunners head to Manchester United tomorrow looking to consolidate their place at the top of the Premier League and on the back of an impressive 1-0 Champions League win away in Dortmund.

Former Arsenal captain Van Persie left the Emirates Stadium in August 2012 when he was sold reluctantly to United for €30m, going on to score 26 goals as Alex Ferguson’s men delivered the title.

This season it is the Holland international’s former club who are setting the pace, moving five points clear after beating Liverpool last weekend, with United down in eighth place.

Wenger admits it still does not sit well to see the player he signed as a 20-year-old in 2004 wearing the red of United rather than Arsenal.

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

“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.”

Ferguson’s personal intervention helped to secure Van Persie ahead of their rivals Manchester City, which ultimately proved decisive in the championship race.

Wenger, though, revealed the presence of Dutch coach Rene Meulensteen on the United staff also influenced Van Persie’s decision.

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

Wenger refused to be drawn on whether Van Persie, who was desperate to win silverware, might now regret his decision to leave as Arsenal look set for an overdue sustained title challenge.

“Only Robin van Persie can tell you that. I’m not in the position to do that,” Wenger said.

“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.”

Van Persie, of course, was not the first high-profile Gunner to leave the Emirates Stadium in recent seasons in search of success, with the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri and Emmanuel Adebayor all having moved on for big fees.

Wenger accepts it could seem some were perhaps a bit “impatient”.

He said: “Some players saw the other big clubs buying world-named players and of course they lost a little bit confidence that we can compete with them.

“I think we have always been consistent in the way we thought the club has to be run, but at some stage we can turn the corner. Hopefully we have done it this year.”

Wenger also feels it will be “a bit strange” to take on a United side at Old Trafford without Ferguson in the opposing dugout.

But he has demanded his side show the “hunger” of Fergie’s champions at Old Trafford.

“What is the most important is that we trust our quality and show the resilience and the hunger to achieve what we can achieve,” said Wenger. “What is important is what we achieve in the future.”