Arsenal attacker Robin van Persie has revealed he worked closely with LA Galaxy star David Beckham during the England midfielder's training spell at the Gunners.

"Beckham has been there and done it," said Van Persie. "When he trained with us I thought: 'I am going to enjoy this and learn every minute'. We did a number of sessions together. They benefited were some of the best practice sessions I have ever done in my life.

"David was so focused. Every ball, every touch and every run had to be perfect.

"There was actually one shooting session where I thought: "Wow! We both know exactly where the other is going to place the ball". Things really worked well between us. The level of our training was getting higher and higher. We spoke about the smallest details, like how many steps he takes back for a free-kick.

"I used to swear by five steps behind the ball. Beckham told me he follows his instinct. Sometimes he takes 12 steps, sometimes three and sometimes one."