Van Persie relived to have goalscoring hero Vermaelen on his side

ARSENAL forward Robin van Persie is relieved Thomas Vermaelen is on his side now after getting rough treatment and falling out with the Belgian centre-back two years ago.

Vermaelen angered Van Persie with his no-nonsense defending during the pre-season Ajax Tournament when he was with the Dutch giants, but they are now on the same side following Vermaelen’s £10 million (€11m) move in the summer.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has got full value, as his 23-year-old recruit has adapted instantly to the Barclays Premier League and has shown a goalscoring knack. His double in the 4-0 demolition of Wigan on Saturday took his tally to four this season.