Football
Richard Jolly, ESPN.com writer 9y

Ferdinand claims that Van Persie felt Sir Alex's retirement hardest of all

Robin van Persie was the Manchester United player who was upset the most by the news of Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement, according to former team-mate Rio Ferdinand.

The Dutchman spent a solitary season playing for the Scot but they established a close rapport as Van Persie scored 30 goals and United won their 13th league title under Ferguson.

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And Ferdinand, a member of Ferguson's teams for 11 of his 12 years at Old Trafford, felt Van Persie was devastated to hear the manager was leaving.

"It took the wind out of everyone's sails," Ferdinand told MUTV. "The person it hit more than anyone was Robin. He'd come the year before, tasted that success and wanted more. Visually, you could see it hit him harder than anyone else at the time.

"Everyone was really appreciative for what he'd done for our careers."

Ferguson bought Van Persie for 24 million pounds from Arsenal in 2012 and the striker was the Premier League's top scorer as United regained the title.

"It gave us an extra push to go and win and be successful in that last season," Ferdinand added.

Both Van Persie and former Manchester United boss David Moyes denied they had a difficult relationship but the Dutchman has not been as prolific since Ferguson left his job.

However, he did score his first goal of the season in United's 5-3 defeat to Leicester on Sunday.

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