Arsenal skipper Van Persie: Wenger doesn't need to justify himself to me

Arsenal skipper Robin van Persie says he accepts Arsene Wenger's decision to change Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain for Andrey Arshavin during defeat to Manchester United.

Van Persie was caught on camera being critical of the substitution.

But he wrote in The Sun: "When Arsene makes a decision, it is based on a lot of information that everyone else might not know about and he will never betray.

"I admire him so much for that. As he said after the game, he doesn't have to explain his substitutions to anyone. He was right to remind everyone that he has been in the job 30 years and made 50,000 substitutions — why on earth should he have to justify each and every one of them?

"He has all the information, he knows when a player is carrying a small injury, or has been ill, or is tiring. Arsene's remarkable success in the game is proof enough that his decisions are made from knowledge and experience.

"Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain had a calf injury. We did not know that but the boss did and brought Andrey Arshavin on. I have a lot of respect and admiration for Arsene Wenger.

"He is one of the best football coaches in the world, with a brilliant record of success here at Arsenal."