Robin van Persie admitted believing he could still be with Manchester United had Alex Ferguson not retired.

Van Persie struggled under David Moyes and Louis van Gaal.

When asked if he felt he would still be at United had Ferguson stayed on, Van Persie told a press conference: “We will never know. It could have been that I could have been a player for Manchester United today.

“When I signed that was the idea, that Sir Alex would stay on for a few more years, but in football things change, you can’t plan your own path or your coach’s path. In this world you have to deal with how it comes.”

The 33-year-old was keen to play down the significance of his return to Old Trafford, adding: “What happened, happened. I don’t think you have to make it bigger than it is.

“You shake hands and move on to the next chapter. I’m not that romantic, thinking ‘that was the moment’. I will just do my lap, go in and prepare for tomorrow.”