As he prepares to take command of his first season at Old Trafford after replacing Ralf Rangnick, the former Manchester United striker has issued a stern warning to the newly-appointed Red Devils' head coach.
Erik ten Hag has been warned by Robin van Persie that he will not be able to find a better club to manage than Manchester United.
Former United striker Robin van Persie was offered the job as Ten Hag's assistant, but the 38-year-old passed down the opportunity to return to Old Trafford. Van Persie was ten Hag's initial option before turning to Mitchell van der Gaag and Steve McClaren, both of whom are currently on his United coaching staff.
Van Persie, though, has elected to continue as first-team and youth coach at Feyenoord, where his 15-year-old son Shaqueel plays. Despite the fact that the opportunity to return to Old Trafford came too soon for van Persie, he told Dutch compatriot ten Hag that taking over at United was the right decision.
"The fans have a lot of respect for me," van Persie stated. "When I returned a few years later with Fenerbahce, after winning the league with United and Sir Alex Ferguson, the locals still showered me with praise."
"Our Fenerbahce coach, Dick Advocaat, understood that." It happened to him while he was playing for Rangers in Scotland. 'You will be appreciated here [at United] for the rest of your life,' he remarked, and he was completely correct.
"England is a wonderful place to live. The locals are welcoming and friendly. It's only a 40-minute flight from Rotterdam, yet it transports you to another universe. It's a lovely planet.
"Football was also a great fit for me." It's still the most attractive league in the world, in my opinion. The fields resemble green billiard tables. All of the stadiums are large and always packed, and England is a soccer-crazed country."
Van Persie, whose 30 goals helped United win the league for the last time under Sir Alex Ferguson in 2012-13, wants to complete his UEFA coaching qualifications and acquire his Pro Licence before moving on to the next phase of his post-playing career. Van Persie's choice not to accept ten Hag's offer was influenced by his family obligations, with his son's football career thriving and his daughter Dina excelling at horseback riding.
"Right now, my son and daughter are the most important things in my life," van Persie told Life After Football. "It's fantastic that they've both discovered their calling. A pastime is good, but you hope they discover something they truly like.
"Dina has done it with horseback riding; she's completely absorbed in it, and Shaqueel has done it with soccer." My wife, Bouchra, is honing all of her skills via our initiatives, which is fantastic to witness. We're having a good time together."
Van Persie believed that a period of stability was needed after transferring his family from London to Manchester and Istanbul throughout his playing career.
"When I was at Arsenal in London, we relocated five times," remarked van Persie. "We lived in Manchester and Istanbul as well." We were gone for over fourteen years in all. But then we wondered, 'What's good for the kids now?' and decided that some consistency would be beneficial."
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