Van Persie proud to have joined United

The former Arsenal captain completed his move to Old Trafford on Friday, putting pen to paper on a four-year deal.

And he has spoken of his delight at joining the 12-time Premier League champions and admitted he is relishing the opportunity to challenge for silverware with United.

He told the club’s official website;"I'm proud to be here and looking forward to achieving big things with Manchester United.

"Arsenal are a big club but for me it's a big challenge to get to know players here.

"I had a good session this morning – I noticed every single person was really helpful. It's a friendly club like I'm used to, so it's not a big difference. The language is the same.

"Everyone knows by now that I'm a lover of football. I'm quite principled in that prospect. It's always difficult to find a perfect match but I do feel this is the perfect match for me.

"United breathe football. If you look at all players at the club, the stadium and the manager, my choice was made based on those things. When I have to make hard decisions, I always listen to little boy inside me and what he wants. That little boy was screaming for Manchester United."

Van Persie will wear the number 20 shirt for United in 2012/13 and is expected to make his debut against Everton on Monday night.

Nick Moore

Nick Moore is a freelance journalist based on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. He wrote his first FourFourTwo feature in 2001 about Gerard Houllier's cup-treble-winning Liverpool side, and has continued to ink his witty words for the mag ever since. Nick has produced FFT's 'Ask A Silly Question' interview for 16 years, once getting Peter Crouch to confess that he dreams about being a dwarf.