Arsene Wenger has called upon the Arsenal fans to respect Robin Van Persie when the Gunners travel to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United in Saturday's early English Premier League game.
Van Persie joined title rivals United in the summer, after refusing to sign a new contract, a move that did not go down too well with the Arsenal faithful. The now Manchester United striker will face the club that he made his name with and was a part of for eight years on Saturday, with Wenger hoping the supporters won't go overboard in showing their displeasure - although the match being at Old Trafford will help the Dutchman a little bit.
"I don't know (what reception he'll get but). I hope it is a respectful one because he has played for us for eight years, he has done very well for us," Wenger told reporters during his pre-match press conference. "You want him to be respected.
"We campaign against discrimination, it was still the case last week so why should it not be the case this week? I don't know (what the fans will do), I think he will get the reception I hope for.
"Saturday's game is not about Van Persie. Not for us and I don't think for him, as well. For us, what is important is the result at the end of the game, and the quality of our performance. We do not even talk about him."
Wenger transformed Van Persie from a talented but moody forward into a world-class central striker and the Arsenal manager is not remotely surprised at the 29-year-old's sparkling start at United.
"You would think that one of the parts of my job is to have a positive influence on people's (lives) as a player," Wenger added. "When you manage to do that, you are always kind of satisfied. You want to try and have a positive influence on people you cross in your life. I think my influence was not too bad.
"It is very difficult to answer (how much we miss him) because at the moment I am focused on doing well with the players I have. To start to think how much do we miss him will not help us to do well.
"I am not surprised by how well he is doing. In Manchester United, you have good players around him, and Robin is very intelligent around the box. His runs are fantastic, his technique is absolutely amazing, so I'm not surprised.
"There are a lot of players in offensive positions, so with his intelligent runs, of course he will take advantage of that. He's certainly the most efficient striker."