A phone call to compatriot Edwin Van Der Sar helped Robin Van Persie to make a final decision on signing for Manchester United, the former United goalkeeper revealed.
Van Persie sealed a £24 million ($39 million) move from Arsenal this summer, with the striker saying his inner voice told him to sign for United. Now former United and Dutch international goalkeeper, Van Der Sar said Van Persie spoke to him for about an hour over the pros and cons of a move to Old Trafford.
"He called me up and said other clubs were in for him, but because I played for two of them, United and Juventus, he wanted to hear my thoughts about them," Van Der Sar is quoted as saying by the Telegraph.
"So we spoke for five minutes about Juventus and 55 minutes about United. He wanted to know how good United were, what he would find there, how the players are, what Ferguson is like, how they train, how the system works.
"He has shown his quality already. I read a statement from Ryan Giggs, saying that United have signed good players and good talent before, but that this one (Van Persie) has everything.
"He has the whole package already, but that doesn't always mean it will work of course. Look at Fernando Torres at Chelsea. His first year was difficult, but I think the signs with Robin are good, though."
Van Persie has made a terrific start to life with United, scoring four goals in three games, including a match-winning hat-trick against Southampton. The Dutch striker has excelled in the absence of Wayne Rooney, leading to suggestions that the England striker might struggle to find a place with Van Persie in the side.
Van Der Sar, however, believes the two strikers can co-exist and play together. "Can Van Persie play with Rooney? I think that's why the manager bought him," he said. "They obviously won't play every game, but I think Sir Alex is quite happy with the firepower he has up front.
"United lost the league by a couple of goals last season and I don't think the manager wants to see that happen again."
