Van Persie reveals why he rejected Ten Hag's Manchester United offer

Former Manchester United striker Robin van Persie was offered the chance to return to Old Trafford as assistant coach under Erik ten Hag but turned it down.

Van Persie opted instead to remain at Feyenoord where he is the first-team and youth set-up coach.

While admitting that Manchester United would always have a special place in his heart due to the affection he always receives from the Red Devils faithful, Van Persie felt stability at this moment in time for him and his family was a priority.

"The respect from the [Manchester United] fans is enormous. When I came back a few years after leaving with Fenerbahce, after winning the league with United and Sir Alex [Ferguson], I still got a gigantic appreciation from the fans," Van Persie told Life After Football.

"Dick Advocaat, our coach at Fenerbahce, recognised that. He experienced it at Rangers in Scotland. He said to me: 'For the rest of your life you will be appreciated here [at United]' and he was absolutely right.

"England is a great country to live in. The people are warm and friendly. It's a 40-minute flight from Rotterdam, but you end up in a totally different world. A very beautiful world.

However, after plenty of moving around over his long career, he feels it is now time to stay in one place for a while

"My son and daughter are the most important right now," he said.

"The fact that they have both found their passion is great. A hobby is nice, but you hope that they really find a passion.

"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 14 years but then we thought 'what's good for the kids now?' and felt a little stability would be nice."