Former Man United striker Robin van Persie has revealed why he turned down the chance to return to Old Trafford under new Reds boss Erik ten Hag.
At the end of last season, ten Hag began his reign at Old Trafford and has already made a mark at the historic club. The Dutch manager has brought in assistants Mitchell van der Gaag and Steve McClaren to assist him.
The former Ajax boss has United supporters excited about the future. It is expected than Ten Hag will bring a fluid and attractive style of attacking football to Old Trafford.
This is something that has been lacking for some time. There is real hope that the Dutchman can bring the best out of players such as Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford, who stagnated last term.
Van Persie linked with Man United return
Before Ten Hag was appointed, there was much talk of who may join him at Old Trafford. Former Red Devils striker Van Persie was a name that was bandied around a lot during this time.
The Mirror have reported that Van Persie was Ten Hag’s first choice. However, the 38-year-old turned down the chance to re-join the club where he won the Premier League in 2013.
Why did Van Persie turn down Man United?
The Dutchman rejected the Red Devils’ approaches because he wanted to remain in his roles at Feyenoord. He is a coach with the first team and youth set-up at the Dutch club, and his 15-year-old son plays there too.
Now, a couple of months after Ten Hag’s approach, Van Persie has spoken about his decision. In an interview with Life After Football, the 38-year-old explained that family commitments played a significant role in his choice to remain in the Netherlands.
He said: “My son and daughter are important right now. The fact that they have both found their passion is great. A hobby is nice, but you hope that they really find a passion.
“Dina succeeded in doing that with horse riding, she’s totally into it, and Shaqueel has the same thing with soccer. My wife, Bouchra, is developing all her talents with our projects and that’s great to see. We’re enjoying ourselves together.
“In London, when I played at Arsenal, we moved five times. We also lived in Manchester and Istanbul. All in all, we were away for almost fourteen years. But then we thought, ‘What’s good for the kids now?’ and felt a little stability would be nice.”
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