Wenger coy over Van Persie Arsenal return

Arsene Wenger has refused to rule out Robin van Persie making a return to Arsenal in the summer.

The former Gunners captain swapped the Emirates Stadium for Old Trafford in the summer of 2012 following a controversial £24 million move and scored 30 goals in his debut campaign, leading United to their 20th league title in Sir Alex Ferguson’s final season at the club.

Van Persie, who turned 30 in August, has struggled with fitness in his second season at Old Trafford and has clashed with new manager David Moyes over his training methods. 

Recent speculation has linked the Dutch striker with a return to north London where he spent eight years and scored over 100 goals, but Wenger refused to be drawn on the subject.

"I don't think it’s the best time to talk about that," said Wenger when asked about the possibility of Van Persie re-joining the club.

Van Persie has scored in each of the three games he has played against his old employers, including the winner in the 1-0 victory at Old Trafford earlier this season, and will be looking to extend that run when he returns to face Wenger's side on Wednesday.

Both teams head into the game following demoralising results at the weekend - Arsenal lost the leadership of the Premier League following a 5-1 drubbing at Liverpool, while United dropped points at home against struggling Fulham - and Wenger knows his defence will need to return to their best in order to stop Van Persie.

"Van Persie is a great player," the Frenchman continued. "It's down to how well we defend against him tomorrow.

"We've been very stable until now defensively, we have to consider how well we have done until now."

Credit: Goal.com