Robin van Persie admits Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement at Manchester United shook him up.
Former team-mate Rio Ferdinand recently alluded to how much Sir Alex's retirement in 2013 affected Van Persie, explaining that his decision to leave "took the wind out of everyone's sails" but "the person it hit more than anyone was Robin".
Van Persie told De Volkskrant: "Rio is a great guy. He talks a lot but there is some truth in that.
"My decision to come to Manchester was partly because of the presence of Ferguson, or excuse me, Sir Alex. And he told me he'd stay for another three years. I enjoyed his approach.
"We were once 18 points clear of City but we lost at home 2-1. We were still 15 points ahead but he was furious. Then I realised: he's a winner."
