Robin Van Persie reveals why he will always have admiration for Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger

Robin Van Persie who recently returned to his boyhood club Feyenoord after a brief stint with Turkish outfit Fenerbahçe, spoke highly about his former boss Arsene Wenger who got the best out of him through his brilliant man managing skills. He also revealed it was because of Wenger that he flourished in his career.

Van Persie left Arsenal for Manchester United in 2012

Arsene Wenger has been a manager of youth; the French veteran has to his credit developing a host of superstars who went on to become top guns in world football. The likes of Thierry Henry, Cesc Fabregas flourished under his wings. One of his pupil who rose to fame under his guidance is Robin Van Persie who has all but praise for his former manager, who he feels is largely responsible for his successful career. Arsene Wenger has a unique ‘connection’ with the young players, feels Van Persie while giving an insight to how Wenger use to shape up the players he handpicked from different leagues around the world. Though Van Persie lifted his only Premier League title under the great Sir Alex Ferguson, who he reckons is the best football manager he played under, Wenger seems to have earned a special place in his heart.

The Dutchman who spent eight years at Arsenal while growing through the ranks believes he wouldn’t have achieved so much had he not met Wenger. “A manager can’t spend that much time with every player in his squad, but we had a very good connection. I have learnt so much in all the years I played for Arsene,” he said. He returned back to his boyhood club Feyenoord recently after a brief stint with Turkish outfit Fenerbahçe and is relishing the idea of playing in front of his home crowd again. Talking about his time at Arsenal, he revealed how the manager used to push him for better and never laid it all out on a plate. “Arsene made me think about things. He never laid it all out on a plate. I remember being 21 years old and it was my second season at Arsenal. I thought to myself: ‘It is time to get more playing time?’ I thought I was entitled to have more minutes in the first team, Arsene was aware of my ambitions but he told me that I was not an absolute top class player yet. ‘But that is want I want to be, so I have to play more,’ I said to him,” said Van Persie.

He further went on to add how Wenger crafted him into a first-team player and made him think about his development as a player. “Wenger looked at me and said: ‘Robin, you have to ask yourself why you are not the top player yet. Write down for yourself what your qualities are right now and also write down which qualities you think you still need to improve. It was great stuff from him. He made me think about my own development. Arsene is an intelligent man and he has so much patience,” he said.
“Our talks were not spiritual, but we did have some very, very thorough talks about life. He really took his time for his players,” he added.

Van Persie after establishing himself as an integral part of the Arsenal setup left for rivals Manchester United in 2012, having been fail to win the league for 8 years. He eventually went on to grab his first Premier League medal at United, making it a nightmare move to embrace for the Gunners across the world. The transfer hurt the Arsenal loyal more than the recent swap between Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Alexis Sanchez, which saw the Chilean secure a move to Old Trafford.

Robin Van Persie and Arsene Wenger have not been forgiven yet by the fans who till date curse the manager for his mistake forgetting that the Dutch was in his final year of contract at the Emirates. However, for the World Cup star, Wenger remained an inspiring figure who he went to even after moving away from the club. “I hear the trouble with other players when they make a transfer. They leave with the doors banging when they walk out. That was never the case when our ways separated. Arsene and I spoke about everything with dignity. The club (Arsenal) and I did not agree on some things. That’s life,” he was quoted as saying by the Mirror.