Robin van Persie returns to Man Utd after four-hour dinner with Erik ten Hag

07 February 2024 , 15:04

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Robin van Persie has returned to Manchester United as part of his UEFA Pro Licence (Image: Getty Images)

Former Manchester United striker Robin van Persie has returned to the club as part of his bid to move into management.

Van Persie was spotted having a four-hour dinner with Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag and his agent Kees Voss shortly following United's 3-0 win over West Ham last weekend. It has now been revealed that the 40-year-old is back in Manchester as part of his UEFA Pro Licence.

The coaching course requires him to spend time learning at a foreign club and Van Persie asked Ten Hag if he could visit United. Ten Hag agreed and Van Persie, as well as fellow Dutch coaches Ruben de Uil and Tim Bakens, will observe first-team training and carry out workshops with United staff.

Sir Alex Ferguson signed Van Persie from Arsenal in 2012 and he spent three seasons at Old Trafford, helping them win the Premier League in 2013. Following his retirement in 2019, he returned to his former club Feyenoord to begin his coaching career.

Van Persie has worked with both the first team and the academy and was approached by Ten Hag to join his coaching staff when he took over as United boss in 2022. However, Van Persie rejected the offer because he wanted to continue developing at Feyenoord and did not want to uproot his family.

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"My son and daughter are important right now," he told Life After Football. "The fact that they have both found their passion is great. A hobby is nice, but you hope that they really find a passion.

"Dina succeeded in doing that with horse riding, she's totally into it, and Shaqueel has the same thing with soccer. My wife, Bouchra, is developing all her talents with our projects and that's great to see. We're enjoying ourselves together.

Van Persie is currently working as a coach at Feyenoord (ANP Sport via Getty Images)

"In London, when I played at Arsenal, we moved five times. We also lived in Manchester and Istanbul. All in all, we were away for almost fourteen years. But then we thought 'What's good for the kids now?' and felt a little stability would be nice."

Van Persie's son Shaqueel is also on the books at Feyenoord, having signed his first professional contract with the club in 2022 after joining their academy setup from Manchester City back in 2017.

"As a club, we are very satisfied with the development that Shaqueel is undergoing at Feyenoord," academy boss Rini Coolen said at the time. "He is strong, has an excellent winning mentality, easily scores goals and shows that he is a real leader during training and matches."

Matthew Cooper