Robin van Persie admitted that Sir Alex Ferguson's mentality was the reason he opted to join over or .

United head to the Emirates Stadium this weekend for the second time this season for their third round clash, sparking memories of several players who have played for both, including .

The Dutchman joined in 2004 and defied injury problems to become a prolific striker in north London, eventually winning the FA Cup and the Community Shield. Van Persie had been entering the last year of his contract with the Gunners in 2012 when he revealed he would not be signing a new deal, leaving and plenty of big name clubs to fight it out for his signature - including City and Juventus.

However, when entered the race with a £22million offer, the now-41-year-old was bowled over by the opportunity and claimed Ferguson was the deciding factor in why he headed to Old Trafford in what was a controversial move at the time.

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Van Persie told productions that the famed stories of title glory and trophy-laden seasons were reason enough for him to snub their city rivals and the Italian champions for Fergie.

In 2020, the Dutch forward said: "Ferguson made the difference for me in my choice to choose Manchester United. Because of the way he manages, the stories I heard, because of the players that were there.

"I really wanted to win and when I look at that team of Giggs, Carrick, Scholes, Vidic, Ferdinand they were all winners, they won it all. I was like ‘I want to be part of that’. I was in that period of my life where I felt like a winner but I wasn’t so I had to win. I needed to go to a team that knew how to win."

After joining United, Van Persie won the Premier League at the first time of asking, scoring 30 goals and assisting nine times across all competitions.

Van Persie spent two more years at Old Trafford following Ferguson's retirement in 2013, adding 28 goals and six more assists to tally his total to 58 and 15 before leaving Manchester.

The striker struggled for form and fitness after Sir Alex retired, as he dealt with many knee, hamstring and groin injuries during ' run in charge at United. He made just 28 appearances in the 2013/14 season compared to his 48 the campaign before - and his drop-off in form continued into the 2014/15 season.

He played 29 games under Louis van Gaal, and told the High Performance podcast that the "ruthless" manager cut him out of the squad with just four words. Van Persie said: "I had this chat with Louis van Gaal and he told me: 'OK Robin, our ways will part. I'm the coach, you're the player - you have to go, your time is up'.

"I was like: 'Yeah but I still have a contract?' He said: 'I don't care'. Ruthless. Towards the end of it, I saw something coming but not this ruthless. And the way he said it as well. And then a lot of things go through your mind when you get a message like that. I still had a contract, my family was happy, it was my 11th year in England. We love living in England. What's next?

"My kids are going to school, they have their friends and everything. So in a split second, all these things come across [your mind]. How do you react to that? I said: 'We will see what happens. That's your opinion. But I have a contract and I'm happy in England at Manchester United. So we will see what happens'. And I stood up, shook his hand and left it."

While the Dutch striker left on a somewhat low note following his stellar debut season, Van Persie joined Fenerbahce and returned to Old Trafford in the 2016/17 season in the .

He scored a goal against United in a 4-1 win for the home side, and received a standing ovation from fans around the ground when his strike hit the net.

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