Arsenal ace Van Persie: Gallas wasn't talking about me!

Arsenal ace Robin van Persie insists he never felt slighted by William Gallas' outburst a fortnight ago.

Van Persie was widely believed to have been the unnamed player to whom the former captain William Gallas had referred when he suggested that someone had proved a disruptive influence at the club both on and off the pitch. Van Persie's response to the charge reflected his savvy and growing maturity.

"Are you suggesting that William was talking about me?" he asked. "I don't know that, because he never told me anything and I didn't see my name in the papers, so I never felt that he was speaking about me. For me, there isn't a problem."