Robin van Persie has made loyalties to Man Utd and Arsenal very clear with telling reply

Robin van Persie tactfully sidestepped the question when pressed to choose between former clubs Manchester United and Arsenal.

The Dutchman made headlines with his move from the Emirates to Old Trafford in 2012, which was considered traitorous by many. The Red Devils kick off their Premier League season at home to last season's runners-up on Sunday, with both teams eager to make a statement at Old Trafford. R

uben Amorim's squad aim to bounce back from a disappointing 15th-place finish, while Mikel Arteta's side are determined to go one better after finishing second for three years running. Despite having played for both English powerhouses, Van Persie remained neutral when asked in March about his allegiance.

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In an ESPN (via The Mirror) interview earlier this year, he was asked to pick whom he felt was the better player out of ex-team-mates Wayne Rooney and Thierry Henry but chose to remain impartial.

His response was simply: "Pass because they're both so different and very good." He maintained a similar diplomatic stance when faced with choosing between iconic managers Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson.

"Definitely both," replied Van Persie as he maintained the same balanced approach when asked to choose between Arsenal and United. His reluctance to take sides didn't stop there; he also avoided answering a question regarding the clubs' rivals, Manchester City and Tottenham, expressing frustration before skirting around the topic.

The retired forward, who is now manager of Eredivisie giants Feyenoord, scored an impressive 132 goals in 278 appearances for Arsenal before making a controversial move to United. And it only hurt some Arsenal fans further when he clinched the Premier League title in his debut season there.

Despite the uproar over his transfer, Wenger said Van Persie had shown interest in returning to north London. However, it was not feasible at the time for a range of reasons.

Discussing their relationship, Wenger said: "In 2012, he announced his intention not to extend his contract. All the big clubs were courting him. I sold him to Manchester United.

"The supporters were angry with me for this, but we could not match the offer. I managed to negotiate his departure for £24million, which was a huge amount at the time for a player with a year left on his contract. I had only the interest of the club in mind.

"My relationship with Alex Ferguson and Manchester United had improved by then, but every transfer is a polite game of poker where you attempt to give not anything away.

"Van Persie had a fantastic first six months at Old Trafford: he put the team on track for the Premiership title and made it even more difficult for us."

Wenger added: "After three years of the four that he signed for, he was injured and [Louis] Van Gaal sold him to the Turkish club Fenerbahce. He called me because he wanted to come back, but it was impossible: he was at the end of his career and we were investing in young players."