Van Persie stands by Arsenal walkout

Robin van Persie believes he chose the right stage of his career to leave Arsenal for Manchester United.

The Dutchman, who leads the English Premier League scoring charts with 17 goals, sealed a 30.5 million-euro move to Old Trafford in the off-season after eight years in north London.

And the 29-year-old has said he felt he had reached a point where he required a new challenge, away from the Emirates Stadium.

“Arsenal are a great club and I always had a good feeling but after eight years, sometimes you feel that you need a new challenge,” Van Persie told Sky Sports.

“I found that challenge at Manchester United. I do feel that I am surrounded by champions.

“I do feel that this is exactly the right time to be here. I don’t think it would have been better to come here earlier. Everything has gone this way for a reason.

“When I extended my deal a couple of years ago at Arsenal, I felt that was the right move for me – to stay and play because I wasn’t finished there. Now, since last summer, I wanted to go for a big challenge, and this was the biggest challenge for me.

“I think every day tells me that I made the right move. It’s nothing bad about Arsenal. No player is bigger than the club, Arsenal will always challenge for trophies and be up there. It was just that after eight years I was ready to move on and try something else.”