Van Persie was Arsenal’s talisman for his last two seasons at the club and, after scoring 30 league goals in the 2011/12 season, was bought by Manchester United, where he won the league title in his first year.
Although the now retired forward cherished his time under Wenger, the treatment which the Frenchman received has made Van Persie think twice about coaching.
“Arsene was very special to me,” Van Persie told The Athletic. “He’s like my football dad.
“I had the privilege to work with him for eight years in a very crucial time of my career, and he was great.
Robin van Persie explains why Arsenal legend Arsene Wenger has put him off coaching (Image: Getty)
Robin van Persie feels indebted to former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger (Image: Getty)
“He’s a special man, not only as a coach, but as a person he’s even more special.
“Right now, I’m wondering if I want to be a coach and, having watched Arsene, I think: ‘Do I want to suffer like that? Do I want to become a coach?’”
Jack Wilshere also sang the praises of his former coach during a dinner on Monday night.
“Arsene made me. He gave me the opportunity at a young age,” the West Ham midfielder said.
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Robin van Persie is wary about getting into coaching (Image: Getty)
Robin van Persie joins BT Sport football pundit team
“At that age it was difficult. I made a few bad decisions on and off the pitch, but he always stuck by me.
“One thing that was big with him was he always used to say: ‘Believe in yourself.’ In my career I’ve had people write me off, and talk about me… I suppose every footballer gets that, and being English and being in the spotlight maybe I had it a little bit more. But Arsene always backed me.
“And I think sometimes he could see in me that I was down or lacking confidence, and he always just said: ‘Believe in yourself.’ And I felt he believed in me.
“I’ve always said — and I’ve only really realised it since I left — if you’ve got a manager who believes in you and gives you that confidence, that’s massive.”