Manchester United ace Robin van Persie says he'll treasure his one season with Sir Alex Ferguson.

Van Persie worked with Ferguson for barely nine months, but that was long enough for the Scot to make a lasting impression on the 29-year-old.

He said: "It has made such an impact on me that I couldn't see coming before I signed.

"He made it even more special than I thought it would be. Not only by his skills as a manager but by the way he is as a person, the way he works with his players and the honesty and the winning mentality. The word winning came along so many times in his meetings.

"It has only been a year but it has been a year of incredible impact on me which has meant so much. I am proud to have been able to work with him."

He added: "I always thought he was a winner. If you are a winner and want to achieve things you sometimes have to be direct and tell the truth where it is needed but that is the way to win and so I wasn't surprised about him.

"But when you see him from an outside point of view you maybe see 20 per cent of Sir Alex. You see him on the touchline. You see him shouting at the referee, you see him wanting to win.

"That is your picture of him in that moment. But we saw him every day. You see him chatting with the boys, you see him in meetings and how he works.

"He is a man who puts his arm around you if you are having a hard time. He gives you confidence. He always defends you towards the outside world. He will always defend his players.

"We are lucky to have seen what most people cannot see. He is one of the best managers in the world, maybe the best and one of the friendliest people I have met in my life and that tells you the whole story about him."