Robin Van Persie has admitted he was surprised by Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement from management in 2013, whilst hinting that his United career could have been verydifferent if the Scot was still there.
As Van Persie prepares to return to the 'Theatre of Dreams' when his Fenerbahce side meet Manchester United in the Europa League group stages on Thursday evening, the striker has had to answer the inevitable questions surrounding his departure from United in 2015.
"A special occasion and a special game." @Persie_official is relishing his return to the Theatre of Dreams: https://t.co/3XqExrFAkF #MUFC pic.twitter.com/oP5dcU79mH
The Dutchman joined the Red Devils in 2012 where he immediately made an impact, grabbing 26 goals in the Premier League to help United claim their 20th championship title. At the end of that campaign,Sir Alex Ferguson shocked the world of football by announcing his retirement from the game.
Van Persie struggled for fitness and form when working with Ferguson's successors, David Moyes and Luis Van Gaal, which led to his departure from the club in 2015, where he joined current employersFenerbahce.
Speaking at the pre-match news conference (as quoted via theMail), the Dutchman was asked whether he thought his career at United would have been different had he still been working under Ferguson.
He replied: "We will never know.It could have been that I could have been a player for Manchester United today.
"When I signed that was the idea, that Sir Alex would stay on for a few more years, but in football things change, you can't plan your own path or your coach's path."
The opportunity to work with one of football's best managers was one of the man factors in Van Persie's decision to desertArsenal in 2012. The move to the Gunners' fiercerivalsdid not go down well at his former club asmany at the Emirates felt a sense of betrayal.
With Ferguson retiring after only a year of the striker's contract with United, the Dutchman stopped short of suggesting he may have chosen differently had he known about Ferguson's plans to retire.
When discussing his thoughts on Thursday's Europa Leaguematch against the Red Devils and whether the emotions of returning to Old Trafford would play a part in the game, Van Persie answered:"I have to find the right balance of having fun, enjoying the moment of being back here and doing my work.
"I have to try and do my best for Fenerbahce. I give my all. I don't really follow the daily opinions in the papers or social media because to me if you start doing that I don't think it brings you forward.
"I know what I have to do - train well, be positive - and I know as well that I can't play fantastic every single game or in training. That's the football world and I do respect other opinions, but I know what I want and I try to give everything I have."
.