Premier League top-scorer Robin van Persie has revealed how club directors’ transfer games nearly cost him a dream move to Manchester United.
Sir Alex Ferguson snapped up the Dutch international for £24million last summer after an unsuccessful eight years at Arsenal under Arsene Wenger.
The 29-year-old admits he always wanted a move to Old Trafford, but feared interest from several of Europe’s top clubs could also scupper the deal.
“You always have these games that the directors play,” he told MUTV. “It was difficult because it wasn’t only me who decided where I went to play.
“It also depended on my former club as well and how they saw it, it’s a bit like a rollercoaster. Some days it is looking good and other days it is worse.
“You don’t really know what to expect because things can change so quickly. It normally depends on the player and the two teams, but in my case, there were two other teams involved as well.
“One was City and the other one was Juventus – it was a bit hectic but I always wanted this transfer from day one. Me and Sir Alex knew that it would be a bumpy road.
“I think that it shows that if you really want something then nothing is impossible. I am glad it happened.”
The forward was on international duty with Holland as the transfer was completed and was surprised to see it announced while still on the field of play.
“I was in the coach and just about to play with Holland,” he added. “There are no phones allowed in there but I just kept it on me just in case.
“I looked at it and saw a text from my agent that read: ‘The deal is done, enjoy the game’. It was a big relief and I wasn’t fined for using my phone either!
“It was weird because they announced it on TV during the game, which I didn’t know – I thought it was only me who knew. From that moment, everything went so quickly.”
Image courtesy of SkySports, via YouTube, with thanks.
For more on this story and many others, follow Mancunian Matters on Twitter and Facebook.
